Loss, Pain, Death
by LacytheSilverWerewolf
Summary: They were warned of the darkness that would settle within them. But what happens when Effie watches more than darkness take over her brother? What will it do to the pack? And just how much of Stiles will be left when all is said and done? Derek/OC
1. Anchors

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Lacy here! Sorry for the delay, guys. Had a ton of shit going on at home, namely taking care of my mom while she recovered from surgery. Writing wise, I'm finally on the second part of season five. Haven't seen any of that so this'll be interesting. For now, let's begin season 3B! Read on, kids!

Disclaimer: I only own Effie.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie gasped awake as terrified screaming filled the house. Bolting out of bed, she ran into the hall and caught her father rushing into Stiles' room. Following quickly, she watched John grab Stiles, holding him close as he worked to wake the young man up.

Moving to climb on the bed beside her brother, Effie made soothing shushing sounds as she worked with her father to calm Stiles.

Between the two, it took no time at all for them to calm Stiles down. He relaxed into his father's hold and gripped Effie's hand tightly.

"Must have been one hell of a nightmare, kiddo." John said quietly.

Stiles let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah, you're telling me."

"Wanna try and get some more sleep?" John asked.

"Um," Stiles nodded. "sure."

Effie smiled slightly. "I'll stay with him, Dad." she turned her smile to Stiles. "It's about time I returned the favor."

"I was so hoping you'd never have to." Stiles joked.

John shook his head with a smile before hugging his kids and leaving the room. Effie settled on the bed, against the wall and watched as Stiles situated himself.

"Nemeton?" Effie whispered the question.

Stiles sighed. "Yeah, on steroids." he ran a hand over his face. "This is really starting to mess with me, Ef."

Effie reached out and squeezed his arm. "We'll go see Deaton after school tomorrow. He's gotta know something that can help."

Stiles gave a sleepy nod. "Kay,"

Effie watched Stiles drift back to sleep, only letting her own eyes close once he was completely out. With a soft sigh, she welcomed sleep back and prayed her family would sleep soundly till morning.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

John knocked on Effie's door frame the next morning as she packed her bag. "Hey kiddo,"

Effie smiled. "Hey Dad,"

John stepped into the room. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on your brother today. I know he'll brush off last night as nothing but he hasn't had a nightmare that bad since-"

"Since Mom died." Effie finished. "Yeah, I remember." she pulled a denim jacket over her sleeveless dress. "I'll take care of him, promise."

John kissed Effie's forehead. "Thanks baby girl,"

Effie shook her head. "No thanks needed, there's not a lot Stiles and I wouldn't do for each other."

"I know," John acknowledged. "And I am so damn proud of that."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Stiles caught Effie watching him again as they drove to school. "Cut it out, Ef."

Effie sighed. "I'm sorry but you really freaked us out last night."

"I know," Stiles gripped the wheel. "I freaked myself out. But I really just wanna forget about it until we go see Deaton later." he looked at Effie as he parked. "Okay?"

Effie nodded. "Yeah, okay." she climbed out of the jeep. "So, heard from Cora?"

Stiles smirked. "Oh yeah, she finally got Derek to leave a couple of days ago. She told me to tell you that, once he's back in the states, he promises to get a new phone."

Effie slung her bag over her shoulder. "He better. Seriously, if it wasn't for Cora's hysterical laughter when she told us, I'd never believe he actually ran over his own cell phone."

Stiles had to laugh. "Oh it was definitely one for the ammo box once he's back. He will never hear the end of it."

Effie shook her head. "I'd-" she stopped when she saw Scott stumbling down the stairs towards him. "Stiles."

Stiles saw his best friend and rushed forward, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Hey, hey, you alright?"

Scott panted a bit, getting his breath back as he nodded shortly.

"You don't look alright, Scott." Effie stepped up to them.

"I'm okay." Scott insisted.

"No you're not." Stiles said. "It's happening to you too. You're seeing things, aren't you?"

Scott looked shocked. "How'd you know?"

Stiles went to answer as Lydia and Allison came up behind the trio.

"Because it's happening to all three of you." Lydia answered Scott's question.

Effie looked around as the bell rang. "Let's take this into the school."

"Well, well," Lydia said as she opened the double doors. "Look who's no longer the crazy one."

"We're not crazy." Allison insisted.

Lydia turned to face them. "Hallucinations? Sleep paralysis? Yeah, you guys are fine."

Scott looked between Stiles and Allison. "We did die and come back to life. That's gotta have some side effects, right?"

The bell rang again.

"We keep an eye on each other." Stiles said. "Okay? And Lydia, stop enjoying this so much."

Effie gave Lydia a look as she followed Stiles. She really was enjoying being the sane one too much. Walking into History, Effie took her usual seat at the back. Pulling out a pen and notebook, she slumped in her seat and started doodling on the cover.

"Good morning, everyone." the new teacher faced the class. "My name is Mr. Yukimura. I'll be taking over for your previous History teacher. My family and I moved here three weeks ago. I'm sure by now, you all know my daughter, Kira. Or you might not, since she's never actually mentioned anyone from school. Or brought home a friend for that matter."

Effie turned to her left as the girl beside her let her head drop loudly to her desk. She winced in sympathy as Yukimura pointed her out and she gave a shy wave.

"Don't worry," Effie leaned closer. "my dad's the sheriff so you're not alone with an embarrassing father."

Kira smiled. "Thanks, um,"

Effie held her hand out. "Effie Stilinski."

Kira shook her hand. "Thanks Effie,"

"If you want," Effie continued talking even as Mr. Yukimura started teaching. "you can hang out with me, my brother and our friends. We're kinda crazy but you learn to love it once you get to know us."

Kira smiled again with a nod. "That'd be great."

Effie returned the smile as she turned to pay attention.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

John watched Effie's eyes flash lilac as he finished telling her and Stiles Agent McCall's real reason for being in Beacon Hills.

"Is she supposed to do that?" John asked his son.

Stiles shook his head. "No, not really." he moved to stand in front of Effie. "Hey, Ef, snap outta it. I'm sure you're running through about fifty different ways to kill McCall with just your claws but let's leave dealing with him to Scott, okay?"

Effie exhaled. "Okay," she blinked her eyes and they were back to hazel. "And it wasn't fifty." she shrugged. "Maybe twenty five."

John crossed his arms. "Um, what just happened?"

Effie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Dad, I forgot you hadn't seen me like that before." she cleared her throat. "When a were creature, who hasn't learned complete control, enters a state of heightened emotion, they can lose control over their shift. An anchor, in this case Stiles, can help bring them back."

"Normally," Stiles picked up. "Derek is Effie's anchor but when he's not around or unable to help, I step in."

John gave a slow nod. "Alright," he frowned a bit. "But why were your eyes lilac? I thought your brother said,"

Effie scratched the back of her head. "You better sit down, Dad. I think it's time to fill you in on what exactly I am."

John sat heavily in his chair. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

Stiles and Effie exchanged a look. "No idea."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie sat next Stiles and Scott at one of the picnic tables in the quad. Lydia, Allison and Isaac were across from them and all six had books and notebooks open, attempting to study. But the conversation always came back to what the hell was going on with three of them.

"Okay," Scott spoke up. "so what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it seeing things?"

"And is unable to tell what's real or not." Stiles added.

"And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?" Allison threw in.

"They're all locked up," Isaac said. "because they're insane."

"Ha," Stiles said sarcastically. "Can you at least try to be helpful, please?"

"For half my childhood, I was locked in a freezer." Isaac pointed out. "So, being helpful is kind of a new thing for me."

Stiles looked at him in disbelief. "Okay, dude, are you still milking that?"

"Yeah, maybe I am still milking that."

Effie rubbed her brow and was about to snap at the two of them when Kira walked up. "Hey,"

Kira smiled. "Hi." she looked at the others. "Hi, sorry. I couldn't help overhearing what you guys were talking about. And I think I actually might know what you're talking about. There's a Tibetan word for it. It's called 'Bardo'. It literally means 'in-between state'. The state between life and death."

"And, what do they call you?" Lydia asked, a bit snidely for Effie's liking. She gave the banshee a look but was completely ignored. Shocking.

"Kira." Scott answered. Everyone looked at him. "She's in our History class."

"So," Lydia went on. "are you talking Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?"

"Either, I guess." Kira said, sitting in the space left by Effie. "But all the stuff you guys were just saying? All that happens in Bardo. There are different progressive states where you can have hallucinations. Some you see, some you just hear. And you can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities."

"Wrathful deities?" Isaac repeated. "And what are those?"

Kira shook her head a bit. "Like demons."

"Demons." Stiles said, a bit too upbeat. "Why not."

"Hold on," Allison spoke. "if there are different progressive states, then what's the last one?"

"Death." Kira said simply. "You die."

Death. Effie blew out a breath and exchanged looks with the others. That was not an answer they really wanted to hear.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

John shut the front door, catching sight of Effie moving around the kitchen. "Hey kid, where's your brother?"

Effie looked over her shoulder. "With Scott at Deaton's. They're trying to figure out what's going on with them and Allison."

John nodded. "So, here's a question, that might sound a little weird."

Effie gave him a look. "Dad, really? After the conversation last night, you think you can ask me something weird?"

John laughed. "Good point. How good are you at tracking scents?"

Effie set down the mug she had in her hand. "Um, I've never actually tried tracking before. Not scents, anyway."

"What does that mean?" John asked.

Effie cleared her throat. "Well, with our Sparks, Stiles and I are linked. And," she blushed a bit. "as mates, it's the same with Derek and I. I have mental, emotional, links with both of them. With most of the pack really, but theirs is the strongest."

John cocked a brow. "Mates?"

Effie shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, mates." she cleared her throat again. "So, why do you need me to track a scent?"

John gave her a look that said the conversation wasn't over. "An old case, I was thinking maybe a scent would be able to lead us to the body of that little girl. Give the dad some closure."

"I can give it a try." Effie said honestly. "But it would be better if I had Scott with me. Our senses, speed and strength are stronger in numbers. Especially if one is an alpha."

"Alright," John grabbed his keys from his pocket. "let's go get the boys. And," he waited for Effie to turn to him. "We'll be talking about this whole 'mates' thing when we get back home."

Effie groaned. It was gonna be a long night.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie didn't want to seem like a coward but she didn't feel comfortable breaking into Mr. Tate's house, even if it was to find something with Malia's scent on it so they could find her body.

She waited as calmly as she could, her eyes flitting back and forth as she kept her nose to the air. On the drive, Scott had given her a few tips on how to learn scent tracking. Focus on what felt out of place, what didn't belong.

"Ef!"

Effie whipped around as Scott and Stiles came running towards her. "You look panicked. What'd you do?"

"Dog." Stiles panted. "Big dog."

Effie pointed at Scott. "He's right there, genius."

Scott smirked. "No, an actual dog, in Mr. Tate's house. Almost got busted because of the thing."

Effie shook her head. "So, you get anything?"

"No," Scott sounded disappointed. "the dog's scent was everywhere, covering what might have been left of Malia."

Effie sighed. "Alright, let's go tell Dad."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie followed Scott and Stiles into the woods, near where Malia's family car crashed. "And here I thought our days of sulking in the woods, looking for dead people, were over."

Stiles smirked back at Effie. "What gave you that idea?"

Effie shrugged. "I don't know, the illusion of personal growth? Scott and I being shifters? Knowing the dangers that live in these woods?"

Scott and Stiles both laughed, causing Effie to shake her head, even as a smile broke out over her face.

"You know," Stiles changed topic. "if Dad's right, that means there's another werewolf in town that we haven't met yet."

"I know." Scott said.

"And if it turns out to be something like triplets," Stiles went on. "that form into, like, a three-headed hound of hell, I'm seriously not up for that."

"Me either." Scott admitted.

"Agreed." Effie chimed in.

"Especially since I can't even control my own transformation anymore." Scott added.

A distant howling startled Stiles, causing him to grab Scott, who then dropped his phone into a puddle.

"Sorry buddy," Stiles said sheepishly. "I hate coyotes so much. They always sound like they're mauling some tiny, helpless little animal."

"They're more afraid of you then you are of them." Effie muttered as she jumped into the ditch after Scott.

"Doubtful." Stiles retorted as he slid into the ditch. "Let me see the flashlight." Effie frowned as Stiles took the light and shined it off to their right. "I think we found it."

The three headed towards the turned over car, which had definitely seen better days.

"Uh," Scott sounded confused. "Why wouldn't they move it? Isn't it evidence?"

"Probably too much of a pain in the ass to tow out." Stiles commented. "Look at this."

They got closer to the car and saw deep claw marks gouging out the side of the doors.

"Animal claws would be closer together, right?" Effie asked. "A lot closer."

"Then it was a werewolf." Scott said quietly.

"Then Dad was right." Stiles said.

Effie shook her head. "How could there be another wolf we don't know about? I doubt they'd have gotten past Derek or Peter."

Stiles knelt on the ground, looking inside the car. "Let's not go into what Peter probably hasn't told us."

"What's that?" Scott asked, pointing to something sticking out from the seats.

Stiles reached in, pulling out a beat up babydoll. They looked it over for a moment before-

 _"I'm hungry."_

The three screamed, startled by the sudden speech in the quiet woods.

"I think I just had a minor heart attack." Stiles deadpanned.

Effie, who was leaning her hands on her knees, gave him a look. "Trust me, you're not the only one."

A low growling filled the air suddenly, causing both shifters to look up.

"Hey, Stiles, Effie," Scott got their attention. "Please tell me you see that."

Stiles and Effie moved to Scott's side, taking in the glowing eyes. "I see it."

Before they could blink, Scott took off after the animal.

"Scott!" they called out. "Wait!"

Stiles cursed, looking around. "Why didn't you follow?"

"I'm still learning the ropes of all this." Effie pointed out. "I can't control my speed yet. And I'm not leaving you behind."

Stiles nodded. "Let's go."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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Always fun to end things with a slight cliff hanger. Hush, the next chapter will be up on Wednesday. Hopefully. Life, what can I say? I know you're probably missing the Derek/Effie aspect of things, but it'll be another chapter before he returns. As those who've watched the show know. For now, let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	2. More Bad Than Good

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Lacy here! Got the next chapter of Effie all ready for you. Here we have our continued introduction to Malia, who I have grown to like. Sorta. It's complicated, but doesn't translate into Effie. Which is a first for me, if her attitude towards Scott most of the time didn't indicate that. Anywho, not a whole lot on the personal front for Effie, but there will be more of that next chapter when Derek comes home. Promise. For now, read on!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie stood at the entrance of the coyote den, the other animal's scent nearly overwhelming to her. She didn't dare go in, knowing whatever lived in there would not be happy to smell a fox in their home. Coyotes and foxes didn't exactly get along in nature, she had no doubts about it being the same with werefoxes.

Hearing very girly screams, Effie turned away from the den, her eyes rolling. It's a good thing they were out in the woods alone.

It didn't take long before Stiles was shining the flashlight back in Effie's direction and she knew Scott would be checking out the den. She wanted to warn him against leaving their scent behind but figured he'd get it on his own. Again, coyotes didn't get along with wolves, either. Sticking were before either wasn't going to make a difference.

She stood at the opening of the den as Stiles led Scott in, only squatting down to get a better view.

"It's a coyote den," Stiles said to Scott.

"Werecoyote." Scott corrected.

"You see this?" Effie saw Stiles pick up a jacket. "It's Malia's. Remember, it's the same one she was wearing in the photo."

"We shouldn't be in here." Scott said.

"What'd you mean?" Stiles asked.

"She's not going to come back here now." Scott pointed out. "We just invaded her home. Our scent's going to be everywhere."

"Well, if she's not going to come back here," Stiles said. "where's she gonna go?"

"I dunno," Scott admitted.

"Can you track her now?" Stiles asked. "Do you think you have her scent?"

"Maybe," Scott said. "but I'm better at this when I'm a full wolf. And I'm still worried that if I do it, I won't be able to turn back."

"I can help." Effie spoke up. "I can shift fully and with you leading me, we should be able to get a hold of her scent."

Scott shook his head. "Until I have full control, I don't feel comfortable trying to lead you, Effie." he thought for a moment. "This is basically a crime scene, right? I think that's a little out of my boss's league."

"But more of our dad's." Effie connected the dots.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I think it's time to call him in."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie stood between Stiles and Scott as John followed Rafael back towards the den. "Scott, I really hate your father."

Scott sighed. "Trust me, you're not alone in that one. I'm sorry for what he's doing."

"Don't apologize for him, Scott." Effie scolded gently. "After all these years, I think it's time he learns to apologize for himself."

"I wouldn't hold out for that one, kid." Stiles said as they watched John and Rafael stare each other down.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie froze as Mr. Yukimura called Stiles to read in front of the class. Knowing about his inability to read in dreams and not knowing if he was really awake or not, standing in front of class was the last thing Stiles needed.

Before she could do or say anything, Stiles stood up to do as he was asked. Effie was on the edge of her seat as she watched Stiles take his place and look at the book. When she saw him clench the sides of the podium, she reached over and smacked at Scott's arm, to get his attention. They both watched Stiles as he paled and looked out over the class, his eyes unfocused and a sweat breaking over his brow.

They were out of their seats at the same time, rushing to Stiles, steadying him as he fought the panic building in his chest.

"We should take him to the nurse's office." Scott said to the teacher while Effie focused on Stiles' breathing.

"Deep breaths, Stiles." she said softly. "Come on, listen to my breathing and mimic it."

They quickly got him out of class and, instead of to the nurse's office, to the nearest bathroom.

"Stiles, listen to me, man." Scott spoke to him. "Is this a panic attack?"

Stiles stumbled his way over to the sink, staring himself down in the mirror. "No, it's not. This is a dream. It's just a dream."

Effie shook her head. "No Stiles, it's not a dream. You're awake, I swear."

"Okay," Scott started thinking of a plan. "what do you do? I mean, how do you tell if you're awake or if you're dreaming."

"Fingers." Stiles panted. "You count your fingers. You have extra fingers in dreams."

Scott held up his hands. "How many do I have? Hey, look at me. Come on, Stiles. Look at my hands and count with me."

Effie held Stiles by his sides, keeping him as steady as she could while he and Scott counted out his fingers. Once they reached ten, Effie felt her brother's breathing slow as he realized he was awake and not actually stuck in his own mind as he was fearing. He pushed Effie's hands off gently and slid to the floor, leaning against the wall. Scott and Effie knelt around him.

"What the hell is happening to me?" Stiles asked desperately.

"We'll figure it out." Scott reassured. "You're gonna be okay."

"Am I?" Stiles questioned. "Are you? Scott, you can't transform. Allison's being haunted by her dead aunt, and I'm straight up losing my mind. We can't do this." he shook his head. "We can't, we can't help Malia, we can't help anyone."

Effie bit her lip to fight the tears caused by the hopelessness in Stiles's tone. It had been years since she'd seen him so defeated. She reached out and took his hand in both of hers, holding it in her lap, grounding them both.

"We can try." Scott said as he sat completely on the floor. "We can always try."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie's head whipped around as she and Scott helped Stiles up. "Scott."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, I smell her too." he looked at Effie. "Follow but stay back with Stiles."

"She's chasing Kira." Effie pointed out. "She's my friend, I can't just do nothing."

"You're not." Scott reminded. "You're backing me up, in case she's too much."

Effie sighed. "Alright, go."

She watched Scott take off, holding Stiles steady until he was okay to run, then they darted after their friend. Effie followed Scott's scent towards the locker room, finding the window on the door shattered and crashes coming from inside.

Before they could move inside, the coyote from the other night came charging out of the room, baring its teeth at Stiles and Effie.

Effie let out a low growl, her eyes flashing and the coyote took off.

"I'm really liking that new defense," Stiles said casually.

Effie laughed. "Yeah, it comes in handy."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie stood off while Kira tried to calm her father. Effie could definitely understand the annoyance creeping into the other girl's tone. She'd lost count of the number of times John had talked to her until she was ready to hit him, simply because he was worried about her. And the number of those conversations that involved Derek? Well, Effie tried not to think about that.

"Kira," Effie stepped forward. "hey, why don't we get outta here now that they're done talking to us?"

Before Kira could answer, Mr. Tate's voice echoed.

"Where did you get that?!" they turned and saw the distraught father rip a doll from Stiles's hand. "Where did you find this?"

Mr. Yukimura stepped in front of Effie and Kira, as if protecting them from the man.

"It belonged to my daughter." Effie heard Tate whisper.

John came forward and stepped between the boys and Tate. "Mr. Tate, I don't know how you heard about this. If you got your own police scanner or what, but you can't be here."

Effie watched as her father went to push the man out of the locker room, only for Tate to jump and John to look at him suspiciously. John moved Tate's jacket aside and found the man was carrying a gun.

"I have a permit." Tate defended himself.

"California schools are gun free zones," John said, his sheriff side overriding the understanding father. "permit or no permit. You need to leave, Mr. Tate. Now."

Tate stuttered before collecting himself briefly. "You find that animal. You find that thing."

Effie shut her eyes, turning her head away from Tate. If only he knew who that animal really was.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie watched from the top of the spiral stairs as Aidan and Ethan beat on Scott, trying to get him to trigger his alpha side, to stop being afraid that he'll hurt someone or be stuck that way if he shifts. She recalled Stiles telling her about how he did something similar when Scott was first turned to help him with control. And while it humored Effie to watch Scott get beat on, seriously, it was awesome, Aidan seemed more eager to just beat on Scott then to help him.

Ethan reached out and stopped his brother.

"What?" Aidan demanded. "I thought we were helping him."

"You help too much," Ethan said calmly.

Effie made herself known. "Get off him, Aidan."

He glanced back at her. "What makes you think I'll listen to you."

Effie smirked before her eyes flashed lilac and she held up her hand, which was sparking. "This. Or do you want another shock like the hospital? I'm pretty sure, separated from your twin, it'll hurt a lot more."

Aidan looked away from Effie, towards his brother and then Scott. He climbed off the dazed alpha with his brother's help. Effie walked down the stairs, watching Scott as his breathing slowly calmed and he spit blood from his mouth.

"Anger's not his trigger any more," Effie said softly. "he's got too much control over it."

"Then what'd we do?" Stiles asked.

Effie sighed. "Pray, that when the time comes, he can actually handle the fear."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Riding on the back of Scott's bike so they didn't have to bring a fourth vehicle had seemed like a good idea before they left the loft. But, as Scott tore after Stiles's jeep, Effie was regretting her decision. She held tightly to his jacket as they took another curve and could swear she felt him laughing. If she wasn't depending on him to stay alive, she'd shock his ass.

They stopped at the entrance for the reserve and she climbed off, perhaps a little faster then a calm person would have. Removing her helmet, she released her hair from the bun she'd put it in for the ride and looked around at the others. Lydia climbed outta Stiles's jeep with him while Allison and Isaac stood from the hunter's car.

"Anyone else think we might be doing more harm than good?" Lydia asked the question they were all thinking.

"We're trying to keep a father from killing his own daughter." Scott reminded.

"Actually," Isaac piped up. "we're trying to keep a guy from killing a coyote who is actually his daughter, who we don't know how to change from a coyote back to his daughter."

"And," Stiles spoke up. "again with the not helping."

Effie rolled her eyes. "Knock it off."

Scott looked back at Allison. "Did you bring it?"

Allison opened her trunk and removed her tranq rifle. She looked uncertain but her hands held the gun as if it was an extension of her arms.

"Let's get going," Effie said. "I really don't wanna be out here after dark. Again."

Before they could move, several gunshot rang out in the silence.

"Mr. Tate."

Effie saw Scott pullin his helmet back on and cursed before doing the same. He wasn't going alone. As he revved the engine, she climbed back on the bike and held on as they took off into the woods, Stiles's shouts drifting.

"What are we going to do, Scott?" Effie asked as they drove. She was thankful for their super hearing so they could talk over the engine.

"Find Malia." Scott said simply. "Hopefully before Mr. Tate does."

"I meant you, Scott." Effie said. "You're still afraid. Can you push that aside to save Malia?"

She felt Scott heave a sigh. "I hope so."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie gasped, grabbing her head with both hands as Isaac's cry of pain echoed in her ears. She felt Scott reach for his own head, causing the bike to tip and slide from underneath them. The two fell to the ground, rolling with the fall so they landed on their knees and stomach.

Ripping her helmet off, Effie shoved her hair from her face and looked around. "Isaac!" she panted as she listened for an answer from her pup but none came. She went to go find him but Scott's hand on her arm held her back. "Scott, Isaac's hurt!"

Scott looked at Effie, determined but scared. "I know, but Allison's with him. I need you here, Effie. I can't do this alone."

Effie looked at Scott, hearing the desperation in his tone. "Scott, whether we're with you or not, you're never alone. Your pack is always there."

"I know," Scott nodded. "I do know that. But I still need you, please."

Effie paused before giving a stiff but sure nod. "Alright, I'll stay. But Scott," she gripped his hand on her arm. "You have to prove you're the alpha I know you are. No more fear, no more doubt."

"Deal."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie slid to a stop behind Malia while Scott landed in front of her. The coyote growled and dug at the ground, trying to intimidate Scott out of her way. She glanced back at Effie, her hackles rising as her growling grew louder.

 _'Howl Scott,'_ Effie thought to herself, her eyes lilac as she watched the alpha. _'Come on, howl like the alpha you are meant to be.'_

Scott looked up slowly, his eyes piercing ruby red. Effie watched as he inhaled deeply and let out the loudest howl Effie had ever heard. She felt her fox respond to his, her power nearly triple and the runes fade from her body. Apparently, when her fox was at its strongest, her Spark was smothered.

Malia backed down, her fur receding. Effie stood, shedding her long sweater as the coyote became the human girl for the first time in eight years. As Malia looked herself over, disbelief on her face, Effie approached carefully and laid her sweater over the shaking girl's shoulders.

"It's over, Malia." Effie said, kneeling beside her. "It's all over." She looked at Scott, who looked shocked by his own actions. Effie smiled at him, pride shining on her face. There was her alpha, and she had no problems admitting it.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Leaning against the side of their father's truck, Effie watched with Stiles as John knocked on the front door of Malia's house. Stiles leaned through the front passenger window, concern etching his features as they waited. Effie had her sweater folded over her arms, a slight wrinkle marring her nose.

"I never realized," Effie spoke softly. "how weird it was to have another person's scent on my clothes."

Stiles chuckled. "I'm pretty sure, before you were turned, you never even noticed."

Effie mirrored the chuckle with a soft one of her own. They turned back to the house just in time to see Mr. Tate hug Malia tightly, the girl returning the affection. John backed away slightly and turned to give his kids a nod.

Effie went to climb back into the car when she noticed Stiles exhale loudly, in relief.

"Stiles?" she questioned.

Stiles beamed at her. "I can read again."

Effie saw what he'd been looking at, the words on the side mirror, and a huge smile broke across her face. She gripped Stiles's arm through the window, the two laughing in celebration and relief.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Begin Transmission

And there we have it! Stiles can read again, Scott can shift and Allison and shoot. If only those were the only problems they're going to have. I really hate this half of season 3. Don't mess with Stiles, seriously. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

End Transmission


	3. Galvanize

Begin Transmission

Lacy here! And guess who is back! That's right, Derek is finally back in Beacon Hills and boy, did he have a rough time getting there. Peter needs a zipper on his mouth. One that's soldered shut. *smiles* Wouldn't that be a nice world? Anywho! So, Derek is back, but the fun is just getting started. Read on, kids!

P.S. Poor Coach.

Disclaimer: I own Effie.

End Transmission

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie sat in her room, ignoring the banging coming from Stiles's. She didn't even have to guess what he was doing. It was Mischief Night in a few hours, along with Coach's birthday, and, for years, Stiles and Scott had taken pleasure in pranking the man, along with the rest of the team helping out. Effie had stopped helping around the time they tried it on her birthday. Both still sported scars from that.

Shutting her computer as she heard the front door slam shut, Effie finished braiding her hair over her shoulder and moved around her room, grabbing her pajamas from her dresser. She was about to go into her bathroom for a shower when a tap on her window had her spinning in place.

The sight that greeted her, and had her heart racing for a whole new reason, was Derek carefully climbing in, a smile on his face.

"You're back," Effie breathed.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry for being gone so long."

Effie raced forward, hugging Derek tightly. "No, don't apologize. I'm just glad to see you." she relished him picking her up. "So glad."

Derek buried his face in her neck. "I sense a story behind that but I hope it can wait until tomorrow."

Effie laughed. "Oh definitely," she pulled back. "So, ran your phone over, huh?"

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Thankfully, since her dad was working and Stiles was out causing trouble, no one was around to notice Effie share her shower with Derek. Before long, they were tucked into her bed, sharing everything that had happened while they were apart.

"A were-coyote," Derek said slowly. That had basically been her reaction to his telling her about being kidnapped and tortured by mexicans with Peter. That and a full body search to make sure he really was in one piece.

Effie nodded against his shoulder where her head rested. "Yeah, I know. It threw us too. But we saved her, just in time. And I think Scott's finally embraced his alpha side."

Derek run his fingers up and down Effie's back. "Good, that'll help in him the long run." he kissed her head. "God, I missed holding you."

Effie smiled, turning her head to accept his kiss. "Trust me, you're not the only one who missed it. Though, I certainly did pick up on your missing me in the shower."

Derek laughed. "And here I thought I was being subtle."

Effie snorted. "Pinning me to the shower door the moment we got in, yeah that's very subtle."

She shrieked as Derek shifted them, rolling so she was pinned under his body, his leg tucked between hers. Effie couldn't help smiling into the kiss. Yeah, it was really good having Derek home.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie climbed outta Stiles's jeep and sighed. "What exactly did you guys do to Coach this year?"

Stiles snorted. "Ef, if I told you, you'd ruin the surprise." he turned towards the school. "Oh, what are they doing here?"

Effie frowned until she saw who was standing with Scott; Ethan and Aidan. "This should be interesting."

"Back at school?" Scott asked.

"No, just to talk."

"Oh," Stiles moved to Scott's side. "That's kind of a change of pace for you guys. Usually, you're just hurting, maiming and killing."

"You need a pack," Aidan said. "We need an alpha."

"Yeah," Stiles continued speaking for Scott. "Absolutely not. That's hilarious, though."

"You came to us for help, we helped." Ethan pointed out.

"You beat his face into a bloody pulp." Stiles shot back. "That's not helping. In my opinion, that's actually counter-productive."

"Why would I say yes?" Scott asked, getting back on topic.

"We'd add strength." Aidan supplied. "We'd make you more powerful. There's no reason to say no."

"I can think of one," Isaac appeared beside Effie. "Like the two of you holding Derek's claws while Kali impaled Boyd. Or forcing me to watch as Kali turned Effie. In fact, I don't know why we're not impaling them right now."

Aidan growled, his eyes flashing. "Wanna try?"

Effie stepped forward, as Isaac started growling and her own eyes flashed lilac. "Go ahead, make a move."

Scott reached out, grabbing Effie's arm, who, in turn, grabbed Isaac's as well. They looked at their alpha and stepped back.

"Sorry," Scott said. "but they don't trust you. And neither do I."

Scott stepped between the twins, heading towards the school. Stiles followed with Effie and Isaac picking up the rear as they shared smirks at Ethan and Aiden's expense.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Isaac leaned against against the wall next to Effie's locker. "I never thought I'd see you accept Scott as your alpha."

Effie shrugged. "Derek may be my mate but we both know we can't survive alone. Not even with him still being an alpha. And Scott's a true alpha, a true leader. If I'm going to follow anyone, it would be someone who was born to lead."

"What does Derek think?" Isaac asked.

Effie shut her locker and leaned against it. "He's always trusted Scott, for the most part. And if he's meant to follow Scott, he's more than willing to do so. Derek was never meant to be an alpha, and still isn't used to it, so choosing one to follow really is the easier path for him. And he sees the potential that Scott has, now that he's embraced his alpha side."

"Good," Isaac nodded. "I know what you said, a few months back, about always being there for me no matter who our alphas were, but I'm glad we'll still be the same pack. It wouldn't feel right, otherwise."

Effie smiled, linking her arm with Isaac's. "I agree." they started towards Stiles's locker. "It's a fact of life, Lahey, we're stuck with each other. Now and forever."

Isaac laughed. "I can think of worse people to be stuck with."

They approached Stiles and Scott, only to hear the weirdest thing ever.

"I'm the hot girl?" Scott questioned.

"You are the hottest girl." Stiles reassured before he backed away and headed down the hall. Effie frowned after him. What the hell?

"What?" Isaac said, clearly confused.

"I'm the hot girl." Scott said, slightly dazed.

Isaac nodded along. "Yes, you are."

Scott chuckled before following Stiles.

"Would they be worse people to be stuck with?" Effie asked as they watched the two disappear.

"Oh yeah," Isaac agreed.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

"Son of a bitch!"

Effie snorted as she focused on the doodle in her notebook. Looks like Finstock had found the first of his many pranks for the day.

Said man came slamming into the room. "Mischief Night, Devil's Night. I don't care what you call it. You little punks are evil." by now the entire class was attempting to smother their laughter. "You think it's funny every Halloween my house gets egged? A man's house is supposed to be his castle." he smacked Scott's desk. "Mine's a freakin' omelet." he turned to his desk, seeing present. "Oh this? We're gonna do this again?" he dropped it to the floor. "I don't think so." as he smashed his foot down on it, something clearly breakable shattered inside the box. He knelt down and picked up a piece of a broken mug. Picking up the card, he read it. "Happy birthday. Love, Greenberg."

Effie looked over at the boy, who looked as crushed as his present. Poor Greenberg. She looked at her notebook again and frowned. Her doodle wasn't a doodle any more. It had taken shape. A masked creature stared back at her, eyes glowing and, even though it was a pencil drawing, Effie somehow knew they were supposed to be yellow.

"Ef," Stiles leaned closer, concern on his face.

She held up the drawing. "It's happening again."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

"Barrow went after kids with glowing eyes," Isaac said as he, Allison, Lydia and Effie followed Stiles. "he said those exact words?"

"Yeah," Stiles confirmed. He kept watching Effie, who'd been quiet since the drawing in Coach's class. "And no one knows how he woke up from anesthesia. Just that when they opened him up, they found a tumor full of live flies, which in any other circumstance would be all kinds of awesome."

"Did you say flies?" they turned and saw Lydia had stopped.

"Lydia?" Allison questioned.

"All day I have been hearing this sound." Lydia said. "It's like, this buzzing."

"Like the sound of flies?" Effie asked.

"Exactly like the sound of flies." Lydia confirmed, sounding more annoyed then relieved.

Effie sighed. "Well, if it wasn't safe to say before, I think it is now. There is no way this isn't supernatural."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie stood, arms crossed, with Isaac, Ethan, Aiden and Scott. She didn't know which made her more uncomfortable; the police leaving or Barrow having been anywhere near the school.

"Lydia thinks that he's still here." Scott said. "Even though the cops searched the whole school. But they didn't have one thing." he pulled a hospital gown from the bag he was holding. "Our sense of smell."

"Your sense of smell," Effie said, uncertainly. "I've never done this before."

"That's why you're staying with me and Isaac." Scott said. "We'll lead you through it."

"Do we really want a novice working on this?" Aidan asked. "I mean, this guy's a killer."

Isaac gave the omega a look. "Effie is more help than you'll ever be."

Scott held his hand up as Aidan took a step forward. "Knock it off, both of you. Effie is going to learn the same way Isaac and I did. Field experience." he held up the gown again. "Now get the scent and start in the basement."

Ethan and Aidan took their wiff first before heading into the basement. Isaac took the gown from Scott and held it up for Effie.

"Take a breath from the air around us," Scott started instructing. "Focus on what's already in the air, what you can already smell."

Effie nodded and shut her eyes. Inhaling deeply, she picked up Scott and Isaac's scents, which were already familiar to her, then the cleaning products used in the school and the lingering scent from lunch.

"Now sniff the gown." Isaac said. "Focus on the new scent, identify it separately from what you already know is there."

Effie took the gown and brought it to her nose. Immediately, the smell of evil and terror flooded her mind. She felt herself let out a whimper and Isaac place a hand on her shoulder, grounding her. She inhaled again, finding the pure scent of Barrow, tilting her head as she found its trail, leading into the basement.

"I got it." she said.

Scott smiled, proud. "Good, then let's go."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie tapped her hand against her leg as she waited for Derek to pick up his phone.

"Hey Effie,"

Effie smiled. "Hey you, so our plans for this afternoon are gonna have to be postponed."

"Okay, is something wrong?"

Effie glanced at Stiles, who was waiting for her. "Just a thing going on at school. I told Stiles I'd help him out with a prank on Coach."

Derek laughed. "Alright, give me a call when you're done."

"You got it," Effie smiled again. Hanging up, she headed towards Stiles, who was frowning at her. "If it wasn't for the fact that I know Derek has something to do with Peter, I would have filled him in. He doesn't need to worry about Barrow unless he gets his hands on one of the pack."

Stiles nodded. "Kay then,"

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie stared at her canvas, at the portrait she was painting of Derek. She'd just finished his eyes, a mix of his human green, his beta blue and his alpha red. Showing all the sides that made up the man she loved. On his face, his scruff was heavier then normal but not as thick as when he was wolfed out. The very tip of his fangs peaked out from under his upper lip, which was curled up in a small smirk. His arms were crossed over his chest, his claws, like his fangs, just barely visible. He was wearing one of his gray henley's, sleeves pushed up to the elbows.

Effie had started working on it after Derek had left with Cora. She wanted something to distract her from his being gone, and even if it made her miss him a little more, it also worked. She was focusing on every little detail of Derek's face and upper body. She hadn't put this much effort into her work since painting her walls over a year ago.

But now, she couldn't refocus on the next part of the painting. Something was nagging at her, telling her she should be focusing on something else. Something more important. And she didn't think it was the sketch she'd made in class, which she had pinned up behind the portrait.

Looking down at the red she used for the alpha in Derek's eyes, it hit Effie like a brick. Scott. Something was wrong with Scott.

Tossing her paint brush down, Effie tore off her smock and took off from her room.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie ran down the street, following Scott's scent. As she got closer to the source, she also caught Barrow's scent, and Kira's. Along with fear attached to Kira's scent. She made it to Scott and found Stiles and Lydia with him.

"Effie," Stiles hugged his sister. "how'd you know?"

Effie shook her head. "I just knew something was wrong. I couldn't focus on anything but that feeling." she looked at Scott. "What happened?"

"Barrow took Kira." Lydia said. "He was after her the whole time."

"We have to think of something." Scott said as he got off the phone. "He's going to kill her."

"I knew he was there." Lydia said. "How did I know that?"

"Cause you heard the flies, right?" Stiles suggested.

"What do you hear now?" Effie asked.

Lydia listened carefully, taking a few steps forward as her head slowly tipped to look up. "It's not flies. It's electricity."

"Wait a second," Stiles started thinking. "Barrow was an electrical engineer. He worked at a power substation."

"What substation?" Effie and Scott echoed.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie jumped off Scott's bike and followed him into the building. Stiles was going to check one side while the two shifters took the other side. Running through the substation, they listened for any sign of where Kira would be. Sniffing, Effie caught a scent and tapped Scott's arm. She motioned in the direction and he took the lead.

Entering a room, they found Kira tied to a fence.

"Scott! Effie! No!" Kira shouted.

Before they could react, Barrow appeared and hit them both with live wires, knocking them back, sending them flying into opposite walls. Effie groaned as she pushed herself up on her forearms. Because she hadn't been prepared, she was able to block or channel the electricity Barrow used on them.

"Don't," she heard Scott pant. "She's not-she's not the one you want."

Effie saw Barrow bring the live wire closer to Kira. "Barrow, she's not the one with glowing eyes! Stop!"

Barrow wasn't to be reasoned with. And yet, when he brought the wire closer to Kira, it suddenly sparked and the power units around them started exploding. Effie covered her head, using her Spark powers to shield her body from the bursts of electricity.

Looking up when she felt it was safe to do so, Effie saw the remaining sparks converging on Kira, being absorbed right into her hands. And, even stranger, Kira looked just as surprised as Effie and Scott.

Okay, just what the hell was Kira?

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Begin Transmission

Okay, not gonna lie, Effie's ending thought was exactly what I said when I saw the episode. Like, what the hell? At least Effie isn't the only confusing thing around any more! *pauses* Wait...that's not a good thing. *grins* So, let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks so much for reading!

End Transmission


	4. Illuminated

Begin Transmission

Lacy here with our next Effie chapter! This episode is where we start to see something weird going on with Stiles. And Effie isn't going to handle it well, let me tell you. But first, a visit from Scott's dad, the twins are morons and mysterious ninja things that appear out of nowhere. Right? Read on, kids!

Disclaimer: I own Effie.

End Transmission

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie was getting really annoyed at finding herself sitting across from Rafael McCall, being questioned for helping people.

"So," Rafael spoke. "when did you get there?"

"At the same time." Stiles answered.

"At the same time as who?" the elder McCall questioned.

"At the same time as me." Scott confirmed.

"By coincidence?" Rafael asked.

"What do you mean by coincidence?" Effie decided to ask.

"That's what I'm asking you." Rafael said. "The three of you arrived at the same time. Was that coincidence?"

"Are you asking me?" Scott said.

"I think he's asking me." Stiles replied.

"I think he's asking both of you." Lydia chimed in.

"Okay," Rafael stopped them. "Let me answer the questions." Effie ducked her head to hide her smile. She was guessing they'd confused the poor agent. "Let me ask the questions. Just so I have this absolutely clear. Barrow was hiding in the chemistry closet at the school. Someone left him a coded message on the blackboard telling him to kill Kira. Then Barrow took Kira to a power substation and tied her up with the intent of electrocuting her, which blacked out the entire town."

"Sounds about right," Stiles agreed.

"How did you know he'd take her to a power station?" Rafael asked Stiles.

"Well, cause he was an electrical engineer." Stiles said. "So, where else would he take her?"

Rafael nodded. "That's one hell of a deduction there, Stiles."

Stiles smirked. "Yeah, what can I say? I take after my pops. He's in law enforcement."

John and Effie both snorted, thankfully Rafael decided to focus only on the sheriff, who covered his as a cough.

"Stiles, just, uh," John fought a smile. "just answer the man."

"We made a good guess." Stiles shrugged.

"What were the two of you doing?" Rafael asked Scott and Kira.

"Eating pizza/sushi." they looked at each other. "Eating sushi/pizza." they took a deep breath. "Eating sushi and pizza."

Rafael looked back at John. "You believe this?"

John sighed. "To be honest, I haven't believed a word Stiles has said since he learned how to speak. Effie, since she learned they could get away with anything if they pouted." the twins nodded in conformation. "But I think these kids found themselves in the right place at the right time and that girl sitting there is very lucky for it."

"Kira," Rafael spoke directly to the girl. "Is that how you remember it?"

The others tried to be subtle, and failed, as they leaned forward to look at Kira, as she hesitated to answer.

"Yes." she finally nodded. "Could I get my phone back now?"

Rafael shook his head. "Sorry but, no."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie collapsed back on her bed, a loud sigh echoing in the room.

"I was sleeping,"

Effie turned her head, smiling at Derek's grumpy face. "I didn't even realize you were here." she crawled up to lay beside him, resting her head on his out stretched arm. "Did you talk to your mother?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't what I was expecting but I got my answer." he nuzzled Effie's temple. "What were you up to?"

Effie blew out a long breath. "Um, saving Kira from a serial bomber and nearly getting fried in the process."

Derek pulled back. "What?"

"Calm down." Effie pressed her hand against his chest. "It was Barrow, the Shrapnel Bomber." she gave Derek a brief rundown of everything that had happened, including her small lie about why she had to cancel their plans. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth but I knew you needed your full focus on contacting your mom."

Derek nodded. "No, I understand that. I just don't like the idea of you being in danger without being there to help."

Effie smiled. "That's the mate in you. I get the same way." she motioned to the abandoned painting. "That's the only reason I didn't follow you two months ago."

Derek rolled and looked at the portrait. "Why do my eyes look different?"

Effie moved to rest her head on his chest. "I mixed the three colors of your eyes. Human green, beta blue and alpha red."

"Why?" Derek had to ask.

Effie shrugged. "Because they're all a part of you."

Derek smiled, holding Effie close. "That simple, huh?"

"That simple," Effie agreed. "that complicated. Just like everything else."

Derek saw the sketch. "What's behind it?"

Effie unconsciously held tighter to Derek. "It happened in Coach's class. I drew it without even realizing it."

"Is this the first time since the Darach and the alphas?" Derek asked.

Effie nodded. "Yeah. I didn't have any visions or mystery paintings while you were gone." she frowned a bit. "In fact, both my fox and my spark were almost weaker until you came home."

"Mates draw strength from each other," Derek explained. "it would make sense that your fox was weaker. And your spark," he shrugged. "it's as much a part of you as the fox is. Looks like they're tied together in more ways than one."

"Great," Effie burrowed further into Derek's side. "another thing to worry about."

"But not alone," Derek reminded her.

Effie smiled up at him. "No, not alone."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

School without power, Effie found, was something she really liked. Without the endless droning of the florescent lights, it was easier to focus. Super hearing really was a bitch sometimes.

Still, leaving school was her favorite part of the day. Especially considering Finstock had been going around between every class yelling through the halls with a megaphone. It took everything Effie had not to crush the damn thing. Luckily for Coach, she overheard Ethan and Aidan talking to Danny about a rave. At Derek's loft. Without his knowledge. Figuring there was no way they'd get away with it, Derek didn't leave the loft much, except to see her, Effie escaped Finstock's obnoxiously loud voice and headed home.

However, an hour before dark, Effie received a text from Derek, saying he was getting food for the loft and if she wanted anything specific. After shooting a reply that all she needed was large amounts of chocolate and that she was out of tea, which Derek replied with a laugh about already guessing on the chocolate, Effie grabbed her bag and headed for the loft.

She was going to kill Ethan and Aidan.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Sliding the door to the loft open, Effie narrowed her eyes on the twins as they turned to her as one.

"H-hey Effie," they said.

Effie stormed down the steps. "Are you two kidding me?! This is Derek's home, not some rent by the hour motel!"

"Um," Danny appeared. "Effie, what are you doing here?"

Effie gave him a look. "This is my boyfriend's place. These morons," she motioned to the twins. "don't have permission."

Danny turned to them. "Seriously?" he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ef."

"I don't blame you, Danny." Effie said, honestly. She rubbed her forehead. "I'm guessing it's too late to stop this now?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, a bit."

Effie sighed. "Alright, go ahead and have the rave. But you two," she turned on the twins, who wisely shrunk back. "I will be telling Derek it was you who did this when he finds out. And he will find out."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie glared up at Derek's building as she left. Morons, both of them. Complete and total morons.

Turning to climb in her jeep, Effie stopped at the sight that greeted her. Two masked guys, looking like medieval samurai ninja things. Exactly like what she'd drawn in class.

"Aren't you guys a bit old for Halloween?" Effie asked, flexing her claws behind her back. When they manifested swords, from their chests of all places, she brought them forward. "Yeah, I didn't think it would be that easy."

Shifting as she delivered a roundhouse kick to the first guy, Effie focused on having extra strength and felt the rune appear on her chest. With magically charged claws, she dodged, weaved and slashed at the ninja.

Dropping back to one knee, Effie panted and cursed as she saw the ninja weren't even winded from their fighting. Taking a quick look around for something to that help her, Effie gasped when she found two more ninja, one on either side of her. As they grabbed her arms and the first two approached, Effie threw her head back and let out the loudest howl her lungs could produce.

Or, at least, that's what she had intended. One of the ninja grabbed the back of her neck and her voice froze in her throat.

The last thing she saw before her world blacked out was glowing eyes, reminding her of fireflies.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Freezing cold, that was all Effie could feel as she came to with a gasp. She shot up, once more finding herself in Derek's arms, cradled against his chest.

"Effie?" Derek's voice reached her.

Effie groaned, though through chattering teeth, it sounded like a dying animal. "I'm okay. What happened?"

"You were attacked." Derek said.

Effie gave him a look. "No, really?"

Derek shook his head. "I was too. I'm guessing we were attacked by the same thing and whatever those things are, whatever they did to us, nearly kills."

Effie accepted Derek's help to her feet. "They looked like freaky samurai ninja things to me. Like what I drew. Ever seen anything like them before?"

Derek shook his head. "No. But," he touched behind Effie's left ear. "they seem to have left marks on us."

"Great," Effie leaned against Derek's side. "Well, the twins hijacked your loft for a rave, Ethan and Aidan are trying to get into Scott's good graces. They're one giant target up there."

Derek gave a low huff/growl. "We'll deal with the morons later. We can't let these things get anyone else."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie and Derek stood in the doorway to the loft, disbelief written on their faces. The loft was practically packed and there were black lights and luminescent paint everywhere.

"You have my full permission to kill them." Effie said, just barely being heard over the music.

Derek nodded. "Good." he took her hand. "Stay close. We don't know where those things are."

Effie followed Derek through the crowd, heading for the DJ station. They tried to get close but the bouncer stopped them.

"Bro," he stopped Derek with a hand on the chest. "sorry The Bloody Beetroot doesn't take requests."

Effie released Derek's hand and took a step back. This wasn't going to end well.

Derek tried to step by him again. And was stopped. Again.

Derek grabbed the guy by the throat. "He'll take mine."

He casually tossed the bouncer aside, Effie watching him fall with a shake of her head.

"You really shouldn't have touched him." she said, though she knew he didn't hear her. She turned back just in time to see Derek flip the DJ station, ending the music. She watched as everyone in the room turned towards them, startled and scared.

 _ **"GET OUT!"**_ Derek's voice thundered through the loft and, it took a few seconds, but the entire crowd panicked and left.

Effie stepped up to Derek's side as Scott, Kira, Aidan, Ethan, Allison and Isaac appeared around the room. And interspersed between the shifters and humans were the same ninja that had attacked Effie and Derek. And they were turned towards Aidan.

"Guys," he said. "they're all looking at me." he panicked slightly. "Why are they all looking at me? Guys?!"

Effie watched with the others as Derek and Scott sprung into action, attacking the ninja. But it was useless, they couldn't land a single blow. Before long, both were on the ground and the ninja were zeroing in on Aidan again. Effie slid to her knees at Derek's side, helping him rise to his own while watching Isaac step towards the closest ninja. He drew his claws but the ninja manifested a sword from his chest, as with Effie. As it spun the sword around, Isaac wisely backed off.

"Somebody do something." Allison said.

No one moved. It was too late. They already had Aidan surrounded and, before they could blink, he was on the ground and the ninja were advancing on Scott and Kira. However, luck, or sunrise, was on their side. As the sun started shining through the window, the ninja vanished, as if mere dust in the air.

Effie helped Derek up, both standing in the middle of the room.

"What the hell were those things?" Scott asked.

"Your dad's twenty-four hours are up." Isaac said to Allison.

Effie looked around the group. "Where's Stiles?"

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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Breathe, everyone. Next chapter literally starts with the twins together. Like I would keep them apart for any longer then needed. *pauses* Uh, forget I said that. Anywho! So, Effie has been marked by the Oni and proven to be herself. Good news, right? That's the last bit of it for a while. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	5. Silverfinger

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Lacy here! Alright, next up for Effie is a lot of drama. Shocking, right? And also the next step in just what is going on with Stiles. Not that we learn a whole hell of a lot, but things are being set in motion. Read on, kids!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie.

End Transmission

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie hugged Stiles tightly as he met her out in front of the school. "Can we not do the vanishing act with dark and creepy's running around, please?"

Stiles frowned. "Dark and creepy's?"

"Something to be explained with Scott's help." Effie said, vaguely. "Seriously, don't do that again."

Stiles gave a small smile. "Sorry, the whole thing with the key and it appearing outta nowhere. Now, the writing on the chalkboard, it's mine, Ef."

Effie frowned. "Yours? You left the message?"

Stiles nodded. "And the key was for the chemical closet."

"Okay," Effie said slowly. "we really need to talk with Scott. See? This is why vanishing is bad."

"Guess I wasn't thinking." Stiles admitted.

"You never think, Stiles." Effie teased. "I'm the one who does the thinking."

Stiles laughed. "Yeah, you wish." he slung his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go find Alpha boy."

"Dare you to say that to his face." Effie taunted.

Stiles snorted. "No thank you, I enjoy living."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie leaned back against her locker, running her free hand over her face. "Thank you for taking care of him, Melissa."

"Stop thanking me for these things, kiddo." Melissa said over the phone. "You and Stiles are as much my kids as Scott is. I'm gonna let your dad know he's here but I knew you'd wanna know too."

Effie nodded. "Yeah, I was getting worried." she sighed before standing straight. "Alright, I gotta go. Let me know if he needs a ride home."

"You got it."

Effie pocketed her phone and tried to smile as Kira came up to her. "Hey,"

"Are you one, too?" Kira asked.

Effie let out another sigh. "Uh, yes and no. Not in the way you're thinking." she grabbed Kira's hand and pulled her into the girl's room. "Look, I know this is weird and freaky and-"

"And I absorbed electricity into my body instead of frying." Kira stopped her. "We're past weird and freaky."

Effie gave a weak laugh. "Yeah, I guess we are. How much did Scott tell you?"

"Not a lot." Kira admitted. "Just a basic low down that everyone is a werewolf."

"Not everyone," Effie clarified. "Allison's a werewolf hunter and Lydia's a banshee."

Kira blinked. "Seriously?"

Effie nodded. "Yeah. Allison's dad's also a hunter. Derek, my boyfriend, is a wolf, too. Oh, and the twins, Ethan and Aiden, and Isaac."

"That all?" Kira asked.

Effie actually paused to think. "Um, yeah. Well, Stiles and I are actually Sparks, though I am a fox, too, but that's a whole other story that takes a lot more time to explain." she saw the dazed look on Kira and rubbed her arm. "It takes a while to absorb everything but you'll get the hang of it. That is, if you want to."

"I do," Kira said. "It's just, you're right. It's gonna take time. But I'm guessing, with those things out there, we don't have a lot of that."

"Probably not," Effie agreed. "Just stick close to Scott once school's out. He'll keep you safe. And the rest of us," she shrugged. "we'll be around."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie climbed into Derek's car, not in the least bit surprised to see it waiting for her. "How long have you been following Scott?"

Derek smirked as he pulled away from the school. "All day. The twins don't exactly know what subtle is, I expected Scott to ditch them at some point. But he can't ditch what he doesn't know is there."

"Not bad, Mr. Hale." Effie smirked with an impressed nod. "Though, once he does find out, he'll be pissed. You know that, right?"

"As long as he's still alive," Derek countered. "he can be as angry as he wants."

"Big brother." Effie muttered.

Derek gave her a side glance. "What was that?"

Effie tried to look innocent. "Hmm? What was what?"

Derek reached over, tickling Effie's side. "Oh no, I don't think so. What'd you say?"

"Stop!" Effie tried to squirm away but there wasn't much room in the truck. "Fine, I called you big brother! Stop!"

"Big brother?" Derek questioned, taking Effie's hand after letting her catch her breath."

"Yeah, big brother." Effie defended herself. "You're acting just like Stiles does when he wants to make sure I stay safe, even if he knows it'll piss me off."

Derek gave a small shrug. "I can think of worse things to be." he squeezed Effie's hand. "You gonna be okay if we have to go against these things again?"

Effie took a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I think so. Last night just shook me because they were able to silence my fox when I tried to call out. A hand to the back of my neck and my voice was gone." she shook her head, ignoring Derek's worried look. "But don't focus on me. Our concern has to be focused on Scott."

"You can't tell me not to worry, Effie." Derek said. "You're my mate. Even if I'm fighting to protect our alpha, I'm still going to be worrying about you."

"I know," Effie said softly. "I do the same thing. We just can't let it get in the way of protecting the rest of the pack."

"It hasn't so far," Derek said confidently. "and as long as we remain aware of it, we won't let it."

Effie smiled. "Deal."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie watched the street grow dark as the sun set, finally. She and Derek had been sitting across the street from Scott's house since he and Kira had arrived. They watched Rafael show up, Derek restraining Effie so she couldn't go after the man.

"He shouldn't still have a key." Effie had growled.

Derek hadn't commented, just held her hands until she calmed down. Unfortunately, not long after Rafael arrived, Melissa did as well. And then the sun set. The two shifters kept their eyes on the McCall house, waiting. A scream from inside had them flying from Derek's truck in seconds, Effie staying a step behind Derek as he kicked the front door open. Derek slid in, and began attacking one of the ninja while Scott went after the other. Effie took in Melissa pulling Rafael away from the fighting and Kira standing in the kitchen. Tucking into a roll, Effie sprang to her feet next to Kira, pulling her away from the ninja that appeared behind her. The two stepped back, Effie's claws out keeping her guard up. Before the ninja could attack, Ethan and Aidan came crashing through the window, distracting the ninja from the two girls.

Effie pulled Kira back, watching as Scott, the twins and Derek tossed the ninja out, just in time for Melissa to throw a container of mountain ash on the ground, sealing the house from the supernatural.

Effie let Kira move towards the back door, where she reached a hand out and was repelled by the ash barrier. Going on a hunch, Effie looked at Kira through her fox eyes and was shocked to see the aura of a fox surrounding her friend. Well, it certainly explained a lot.

"All the baseboards are ashwood?" Effie heard Derek asked. She turned, seeing Derek and Scott by the front door.

"Uh, yeah," Scott said. "It was Deaton's idea. Where the hell did you come from?"

Effie turned back to Kira. She was so staying out of that one.

"I've been following you." Derek said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"For how long?"

"All day."

Effie shook her head as she heard Melissa call to Scott. She had a feeling Rafael was hurt and, for some reason, she was actually concerned about him. Considering the last time she saw him, she kicked him in the shins, it was as high as she could reach, Effie wasn't understanding her feelings.

"It's Kira, right?" Aidan suddenly spoke. "Are you going to tell us what you are?"

Kira backed away from him. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Aidan," Ethan warned as his brother took Kira by the arm.

"Watch." Aidan pressed. He held Kira's hand against the barrier and watched as it was repelled. "See that? She can't go through it either. So, what are you?"

"She's a kitsune, idiot." Derek said as he walked into the room. "Use your eyes. You can see it all around her. The younger ones give off an aura. She just hasn't learned how to conceal it yet. She probably doesn't know what kind she is either."

Effie gave her boyfriend a look. "One day, I'm going to make you sit down and write out everything you know. Hunters have their book, ours happens to be trapped in that skull of yours."

Kira moved through the group. "I need to talk to Scott."

Effie turned her look on Aidan. "I'm blaming you for that."

"I wasn't going to hurt her." Aidan's words were aimed at Derek.

"Not yet." Derek replied.

"Why do you think we're here, Derek?" Aidan argued. "For a study group? We're here to protect Scott."

"We're trying to fight for him." Ethan added.

"I'm sure you are." Derek said, his tone filled with disbelief. "I'm sure you'd kill for him." he turned to face the twins. "But are you willing to die for him?"

Effie watched the twins look at each other and knew the answer. "When you were with Deucalion, it was a fact that death could come, at his hands. With Scott, he doesn't care if you screw up or don't follow orders to the letter. He cares about people. To be in his pack, you have to be willing to step in front of an innocent, or a pack member, and lay your life down for theirs."

"And you're willing to do that." Ethan questioned.

"Since I was a child." Effie said honestly. "The only thing stopping Scott from being my brother is blood. We're family and I'll do anything for family."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie jumped down from the counter, startled as the house shook. Looking at the ninja, she saw them hacking at the barriers with their swords.

"What are they doing?" Scott asked, coming into the kitchen with Kira.

"Testing for weaknesses." Ethan answered.

The harder the ninja hit, the more the house shook. Dishes started hitting the floor, shattering on contact.

"Guys," Ethan called their attention to the back door, where two ninja were managing to create a hole in the barrier. "We have a problem."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Scott's phone ringing distracted the pack for a second as he answered.

"Allison, please tell me you have something." Scott said, his tone a bit frantic. "They're here. They're trying to get in. And it looks like they're going to be able to it."

Effie moved closer to Derek's side as all three entrances were being breached, her fear peaking slightly. Derek felt it and took her hand, helping ground her.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Kira asked. "They're looking for me."

"They're looking for a dark spirit." Scott said. "And I know it's not you."

"Scott," Derek spoke up. "we're gonna have to do something."

The barrier broke and the ninja stepped in. Effie stood between Derek and Aidan as they and Ethan formed a line between the ninja and Scott and Kira.

"Don't do anything." Scott said. They all turned to look at him in shock.

"Is he serious?" Aidan asked.

"I said," Scott spoke again. "don't do anything." he held out his hand to Kira, who took it, lacing their fingers together. "Trust me."

The two stepped forward, almost presenting themselves to the ninja. Effie gripped Derek's hand tightly as they grabbed Scott and Kira by the back of the neck, just as they'd done with Aidan and the others. They dropped them to their knees, their eyes glowing brighter as they leaned closer to Scott and Kira. Aidan tried to charge forward but Effie grabbed his arm in her free hand, stopping him.

Time seemed to stretch before the two were dropped to the ground, both marked behind the ear. The ninja vanished and the others rushed forward. Effie dropped to her knees next to Kira, pulling her head onto her lap.

"You're gonna be okay." Ethan spoke to them.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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Next chapter is where things get really emotional for Effie. And it's not gonna be easy to read. Let me tell you, writing it was a roller coaster of emotions. I made myself cry several times. I need to stop making sisters. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	6. Riddled

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Lacy here and so it begins. Stiles disappearing and reappearing and the horrible hospital scene where he thinks he has what his mother did and it hurts. It so hurts. And it's a lot of emotion for Effie and there's yelling and crying and revealing of a childhood nickname for Effie. And, yeah. Read on!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie and her nickname.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie shifted restlessly in her sleep, her eyes moving rapidly under her lids, her breathing coming in short pants. As she gripped the sheets tightly, her head turned sharply towards the wall that separated her room from Stiles'. Her eyes flew open, the irises glowing lilac.

"Stiles."

Not even blinking, Effie tore her blankets back and sprang from her bed. Moving fast, she raced through her open door and down the hall. Shoving Stiles's door open, she froze as she found the room empty with nothing but a pair of scissors stuck into the mattress, red strings tied to it, going to different places on the walls. She shifted without conscious thought, sniffing the air, trying to figure out where her brother had gone.

When she couldn't find anything, her cell vibrating in her room registered and she ran to grab it, thankful her father was on shift for the night. She saw Scott was calling and answered.

"Where's my brother?" she demanded.

"I don't know." Scott wasn't surprised by Effie's questioned. "He called me, terrified, says he doesn't know where he is but he's stuck and in some kind of basement. He thinks he was sleepwalking, Ef."

Effie ran a hand through her hair. "I didn't hear anything. Normally I hear him when he does that." she moved to her dresser. "Come get me, I'm gonna help."

"We're coming to you first." Scott told her. "See if we can track the scent from the house."

"I just tried." Effie informed. "There's no sign of his scent leaving his room, forget the house."

"Maybe I'll have better luck." Scott suggested.

Effie nodded. "Good point. I'll be waiting."

"Okay, and Effie?" Scott's lowered his voice. "We'll find him."

Effie swallowed. "We have to."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Hearing someone approach the front door, Effie charged down the stairs and flung it open. Lydia and Aidan were standing there.

"You heard it." Effie said without guessing.

Lydia nodded. "What's going on?"

Effie shook her head, leading the two upstairs. "No idea. I woke up, just knowing that Stiles was missing. I raced to his room and found this," she opened the door. "He called Scott, said he was stuck or trapped and couldn't get out. He and Isaac are on their way to us."

Lydia heard the edge of hysteria in Effie's tone and rubbed her arm. "It's gonna be okay, Effie. Have you called your dad?

Effie gave a shaky exhale. "Uh, no. I actually didn't even think of calling him. My mind was just so focused on finding Stiles." she turned her head towards the door. "Scott and Isaac are here."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie took one look at her father when she, Isaac and Scott arrived at the police station and dove right into his arms. She felt them tremble as he held Effie tightly and kissed her head. Scott and Isaac stayed silent, knowing the two needed a minute to find stable ground before talking was an option.

"If his jeep is missing," John finally spoke. "that's where we start." he turned to Parrish. "Parrish, let's get an APB out on a blue 1980 CJ5 Jeep. Gordova, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sublevel of any building he could have gotten into while sleepwalking." he turned to the whole station. "It's the coldest night of the year so far, so if he's out there barefoot in just a t-shirt, he could already be hypothermic. Let's move fast. Let's think fast." he looked at Scott and Isaac. "The two of you, come with me."

Effie didn't let go of her father as he directed them into his office. Once they were all inside, he shut the door and faced them.

"Okay," he said. "is there anything you need to tell me that I can't tell everybody out there?"

"Lydia knew he was missing." Scott filled in.

"Can she help find him?" John asked.

"She's working on it." Isaac answered.

"Anything else?" John questioned.

"I called Derek and Allison for help." Scott said. He didn't have to tell John why Effie didn't call her own boyfriend. She was shaking just as badly as her father.

"Okay," John released Effie to Isaac and crossed his arms. "can you find him by scent?"

Before they could answer, Parrish knocked and entered.

"We got it, sir." he said. "We found the jeep."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie sat in her brother's jeep, hands resting on the lower half of the steering wheel. Her tears were dried, her shaking had stopped. Now she just wanted to know where the hell her brother was. The entire jeep smelled of panic and anxiety, just like Scott and Derek said the roof of the hospital had. But he wasn't in the hospital, he wasn't in his jeep, he wasn't anywhere and she was close to losing it.

Pulling her white sweater coat closer, Effie sat back with a soft sniff and closed her eyes. Deaton was constantly telling her that she and Stiles were connected through their Spark. And she was trying so hard to reach out to him, so hard, but, damnit, she didn't know what she was doing. She'd already tried painting, but she'd just stared at a blank canvas for nearly an hour before putting her claws through it.

Screaming in frustration, Effie slammed her hands against the ceiling of the car, startled as lightning ran through her arms, into the metal frame.

"Effie,"

Effie turned quickly, finding Melissa standing at the door. "I-I can't-"

Melissa opened the door. "Come on, sweetie. I'm off shift, why don't I take you home?"

Effie shook her head. "I can't just sit at home. I can't do nothing. I have to help find Stiles."

"Then come with me." Melissa coaxed. "I'm gonna go to the station, see if there's anything I can do from there. It's better than sitting in the cold in Stiles's jeep."

Effie swallowed as she allowed Melissa to help her from the vehicle. "I want him back, Melissa."

Melissa stroked Effie's hair back, her heart breaking for the girl she saw as a daughter. "I know, honey. We'll find him, I promise."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie watched the EMTs and Melissa lead the stretcher holding Stiles into the hospital. She was doing everything she could to hold it together but seeing the state Stiles had been in when they found him and finally managed to wake him up, she was at the end of her rope.

Feeling a familiar pull from behind, Effie turned without looking and accepted Derek's arms tightly around her body. Her shoulders shook and her chest heaved as she released the sobs she'd tried so hard to fight back. She could finally break, Derek was there to catch her.

Eyes closed against the pain he could feel running through Effie, Derek held her close, his lips pressed against her hair, one hand stroking her neck while the other held tight across her waist. Ever since the call came from Scott about Stiles being missing, Derek's only instinct was to get to Effie, to comfort his mate and make sure she was okay. But he also knew the best way to comfort her was to find her brother, her twin. So that's what he focused on. He knew Scott, Isaac and John would watch Effie until he could give her his full attention.

Now Stiles was found, safe, if not mentally then physically, and Derek couldn't fight the need to be there for Effie any longer. So he didn't. He stood still, holding Effie tight and waited for the storm to pass, even if only for a little while.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie sat at Stiles's bedside, holding his hand tightly in her own as he slept. She could see and hear Melissa and her father talking just outside the door. Her efforts to drown them out wasn't working and she heard every word.

"It was the other day, I asked him some questions, just symptoms," Melissa started. "and, um, he, uh," she was struggling.

"It's okay," John whispered. "I think I, uh, I think I know what you're talking about. I've been writing these down for the past two weeks." Effie shut her eyes, shaking her head against what her father was saying. "I think we need to do some tests."

"No." Effie choked out, standing to go face her father. "No. It's not the same. It's not happening again. It can't happen again, Dad."

John looked at his daughter, tears in both their eyes. "Ef-"

"No!" Effie shouted. "I can't lose him!"

Melissa watched, hand over her mouth, as John gathered Effie into his arms, holding her even as she rained down punches on his chest and shoulders.

"No Daddy," Effie whispered. "please."

"I'm sorry, baby." John whispered back. "I'm so sorry."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Standing with Scott as Stiles sat on the bed for the CAT Scan, Effie focused on her shoes, not quite able to meet her brother's eyes. Either of them.

"You know what they're looking for, right?" Stiles said to the two. They both gave small, barely noticeable nods. "It's called Frontotemporal Dementia. Areas of your brain start to shrink. It's what our mother had. It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers and there's no cure."

Effie was so tired of crying but the defeat in her brother's voice was almost too much. And seeing Scott wipe his own away nearly broke her once more.

"Stiles, if you have it," the alpha spoke. "we'll do something." he looked Stiles in the eye. "I'll do something."

Effie watched the two brothers acknowledge what Scott meant before hugging each other tightly.

"Come here, Mimo," Stiles said, holding an arm out for his sister.

Effie smiled through her tears. "You haven't called me that in years."

Stiles returned the smile. "I know. Time to bring it back."

Effie surged forward and both boys pulled her into the hug. She held to her brothers, feeling almost as safe as when she was in Derek's arms. And she didn't want to leave.

"We'll get through this." Scott whispered, his tone sure and strong. Their alpha was speaking. "All of us, we will get through this."

Effie felt Stiles tighten his grip and knew, if only for a little while, he believed what Scott said. So she did too.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

"Why mimo?"

Effie looked at Scott, his question making her smile. "Mom called me her mini monkey when I was a toddler because I was constantly hanging from things. Her and Dad's backs, the banister. Anything I could. Stiles decided since he had his nickname, I needed one too, so he shortened it to Mimo."

"When did he stop using it?" Derek asked.

Effie nuzzled her nose into his shoulder before answering. "After Mom died. Dad asked Stiles to get me for dinner, said, _'Call Mimo down.'_ He freaked out on Dad, said we weren't allowed to say that name anymore."

"I like it." Scott decided.

Effie smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"Derek," Scott spoke to the former alpha. "you know that stuff you were telling me about chemosignals earlier? It reminded me of the time you were teaching me to use anger to control the shift."

Derek smirked a bit. "I think you ended up teaching me more about that."

Scott smirked as well. "You teaching me again?"

"Think of it more like, sharing a few trade secrets." Derek clarified. "You know I took Cora back to South America, right? It's where she spent most of her time after the fire. But that's not the only reason I left. I needed to talk to my mother."

"Your dead mother?" Scott asked. Effie bit back a smile. Yeah, that was her reaction, too.

"She told me something that changed my perspective." Derek admitted. "On a lot of things. She said my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills, they protected it. This town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you."

Scott gave a small laugh. "And someone like you to teach me a few trade secrets." he frowned. "He was trying to protect us." he stood up. "Stiles was protecting us."

"From himself." Derek connected.

Sharing a look with Effie, even if she didn't understand, the three shifters tore from the waiting room to the nearest elevator. It took no time to reach the roof and they split up.

"What are we looking for?" Derek asked.

"I'm not sure." Scott answered. "But I think Stiles wasn't just up here struggling with himself. I think he was struggling not to do something."

Effie looked around, trying to find something. Looking over at the main power station on the roof, she saw a bag on top. "Over there!"

The three raced over to it and Scott yanked the bag down. Tools of all kinds fell out of it. They looked around again, glancing up and saw a wire had been cut, not completely, but enough for it to be sparking. Dangerously.

"What do we do?" Effie asked.

"Alert the hospital." Scott said. "We can't risk trying to fix it ourselves."

They started away from the area, only to turn back when a loud hum filled the air. Before their eyes, sparks flew and a large wire came loose, flying over the edge of the roof, right towards the front entrance and the parking lot.

"Oh god," Effie breathed.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Begin Transmission

I'd apologize, but it gets worse. Gods, there have got to be so many people sick of seeing me type those words. But I'm good at emotions. A little too good, some might say. Alright, everyone might say it. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	7. Letharia Vulpina

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Lacy here! And we actually have a bit of happy in this chapter, you'll see. No, of course I'm not going to tell you. We also have another cliff hanger. This season has a lot of them and it sucks monkeys. And can we not pick on Isaac? Seriously? He's a puppy. Jerks. Read on!

Disclaimer: I own Effie.

End Transmission

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie ran behind Derek and Scott as they charged out of the hospital, already hearing the commotion caused by the live wire that had fallen from the roof.

A sharp pain ran through Effie's head, causing her to cry out. "Isaac!" she waved off Derek and Scott's concern. "Keep going!"

The trio got outside and found a hydrant had broken and electrically charged water was flowing all over the parking lot. Derek barely stopped them before they ran head long into the water. Looking around, hoping to find something to help, Effie saw Isaac face down in the water, not moving. She went to run to him but Derek grabbed her arm and drew her attention to Kira, who was standing in the water, one hand holding the live wire while the other came up and covered the sparking end.

They watched in shock as the electricity slowly died down and, when Kira opened her eyes, her irises had turned orange, like her fox aura.

Once she dropped the, now dead, wire, Effie remembered her pup and took off for Isaac, Derek on her heels. She dropped to her knees beside Isaac, grabbing his arm and rolling him so she could see his face.

"Isaac," she called to him. "Isaac!"

Derek felt for his pulse, then his breath. "He's not breathing." the older man turned towards their alpha. "Scott! He's not breathing!"

Effie shook Isaac. "Wake up. Isaac, this isn't funny. Wake up!"

Derek pulled Effie back as the nurses and doctors came over. "Let them work, Ef."

"Not Isaac, Derek." Effie whispered. "Not Isaac, please."

Derek held Effie close. "He'll heal, Ef. He'll heal." He wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure. Himself or Effie.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Two days. Not a word from Stiles, who had left the hospital while all the commotion was happening, and Isaac wasn't healing or waking up. Effie had painted several partial paintings, all with pieces of Stiles's face, but none showing exactly where he was or what he was doing. But with each painting, the dark aura around him got larger and larger.

Derek had all but become a permanent fixture in the Stilinski house, not wanting to leave Effie and knowing John wasn't stable enough to take care of his daughter. John was grateful for the help, not even complaining when Derek closed Effie's door at night so her father's late night pacing wouldn't disturb her. More than once in the last two days, John had found himself staring into space, only for Derek to put coffee or a sandwich in front of him.

The morning of the third day, Effie and John had woken to texts from Stiles, telling them he was okay, not to look for him and that he'd be back soon. Neither had taken it well and Derek decided to go through with an idea he'd had for a couple of weeks.

Joining John downstairs while Effie showered and dressed for school, Derek sat with a small box in front of him and waited for John to acknowledge his presence.

"If you're planning on proposing Derek," John said, his back turned. "you might wanna let Effie down easy, first."

Derek laughed. "Not exactly where this was going but I'm glad to see you making a joke."

John sighed. "At this point, it's either keep up the brave front or completely break down and I can't do that to Effie."

"Well," Derek played with the box. "if you ever need a moment to break, I'll take care of Effie."

John smiled. "That's one thing I'll never worry about." he tapped the box. "Now, what's this?"

Derek opened the box carefully and turned it so John could see what was inside. Nestled in the gray fabric was a sterling silver Claddagh ring with a small citrine stone nestled inside the holding hands.

John looked at it for a few minutes before clearing his throat. "Which hand is that for?"

"Right." Derek said. "For now."

"For now." John repeated.

"You know I love Effie, Sheriff. Sometimes, it's more than I can put into words." Derek said plainly. "Now, you can give this to her and say it's a present from father to daughter. Or, you can let me, as her boyfriend, and we can all adjust to the fact that, somewhere down the road, I may be switching it to the other hand as an engagement ring."

John blew out a long breath, leaning back. "You know, I didn't think I'd be having any version of this conversation for at least another five years. But then," he smiled a bit. "Effie never did do anything the way the parenting books say little girls will, so I don't know why I'm surprised." he closed the box, handing it back to Derek. "You can give that to her but you swear to me, the next step will be her decision."

Derek nodded. "You have my word."

John returned the nod. "Good." he stood up. "I've gotta head to the station. Can you take Effie to see Isaac before school?"

"Of course." Derek consented. "And thank you, Sheriff."

John held out his hand. "At this point, I think you can call me John."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie had just finished pulling her hair into a loose braid over her left shoulder when she heard Derek coming back towards her room. He'd stuck his head into the bathroom to say he was going to check on her father. She wasn't worried when he didn't come back right away; the two had been getting along amazingly since Stiles went missing. Again.

The thought of her brother had Effie bracing herself on her vanity as her knees threatened to buckle.

"Easy," Derek appeared behind her, hands sliding around her waist. "breathe through it." he could hear and feel Effie's heart rate accelerate.

Effie gripped Derek's hands, fighting back the urge to let her powers loose. But she couldn't let her grief turn into panic because it still triggered her and that was the last thing she needed in the middle of school.

"I don't think I can do this, Derek." Effie nearly whispered. "I know where he's supposed to be during classes and lunch. During cross country practice. I know he should be there but he won't be."

"Okay," Derek said softly. "okay. I'm gonna call your dad. Let him know that, after we see Isaac, I'm taking you to the loft. You shouldn't be here or at school right now."

Effie nodded, letting Derek lead her to the bed, where she sat as he pulled out his phone and called her father. She hated being this weak. She was a werefox, a druid. A goddamn Spark. But, like any twin, with her other half missing, she felt lost. Without direction. If it weren't for the pull of her mate from Derek, Effie doubted she'd even be able to function.

If that nogitsune ever took a physical form that wasn't her brother, she was ripping its throat out through its stomach. You don't mess with the Stilinski twins. A lesson most knew and a lesson the supernatural world needed to add to its rule book.

Effie wasn't playing around. Her fox and druid were hungry and she was out for blood.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

"Hey," Derek played with the ring box in his pocket as he and Effie made their way out of the house. "I want to give you something before we go."

Effie frowned, pulling her jacket on. "What is it?" Derek shifted in place. If Effie didn't know any better, she would swear he was nervous. Her frown deepened as she scented the air. He really was nervous. "Derek, what is it?"

Derek cleared his throat. "I asked your dad about this before deciding to go ahead, and I know this is bad timing with everything going on, but that's also why I wanted to do it now. And-"

"Derek." Effie gripped his wrists with a smile. "Calm down and just tell me." she saw him holding something in his fist. "Or show me."

Derek nodded and opened his hand, the small box sitting in his palm. "It's not an engagement ring, not yet. But, uh, it's something my dad did with my mom after they mated."

Effie let out a slow breath before taking the box and opening it. The Claddagh ring inside had her smiling brightly.

"Why citrine?" Effie asked, looking at the yellow-orange stone.

Derek cleared his throat, again. "It's meant to help with clarifying and magnifying personal power and energy. And brings good luck and fortune. I figured, with our lives and your powers, it could be helpful. And," he smiled a bit. "it's how I imagined your fox eyes to look, without the druid aspect."

Effie giggled, leaning up to kiss Derek. "You are so sweet." she held out the box. "I'm not putting it on myself, Hale."

Derek chuckled and removed the ring from the box. Taking Effie's right hand, he slid it onto her ring finger and kissed the stone.

"Like it?" he asked.

Effie ran her fingers over the ring. "Love it." she kissed Derek again. "I love you."

Derek bumped their noses. "Love you, too." he returned the kiss with another. "Let's go see Isaac."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie picked the lock to Allison's apartment, easily sliding the door open. "You know, we could just try waiting and asking if he left it."

Derek gave her a look as he walked in. "We could but that's not exactly my style."

"Babe," Effie left the door open some. "you need to work on a new style. Breaking and entering is what put you on Dad's list to begin with."

"Actually, you did the breaking and entering this time." Derek pointed out. "I just followed you in."

"Oh sure," Effie snorted. "throw your girlfriend under the bus. I see how it is, take care of me and my dad, give me a gorgeous ring and then ditch me at the first sign of trouble."

Derek barely held back a growl as he jabbed the emitter into Chris's desk. "Effie,"

"Come on," Effie grabbed Derek's hand. "sitting here waiting is too easy. Let's make Argent work for this."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie should have gone to school. Didn't matter if Stiles was missing, school was way better then being brought in by her brother's best friend's estranged father in handcuffs. Though, what the idiot was thinking handcuffing the daughter of the sheriff was beyond Effie.

She was taken into Rafael's office while Derek and Chris were cuffed to the bench outside her father's. Effie sat in one of the chairs, an annoyed sigh escaping her lips as Rafael closed the door.

"Care to explain why you're not in school?" the agent asked.

Effie looked up at him. "Do I care to? No. But I also know I don't have a choice in the matter so, what the hell." she shifted in her seat. "My brother's missing, again. Has been for over two days. You may have noticed. My father and boyfriend decided not to force me into school today, as I'm not exactly handling it well."

Rafael crossed his arms. "I wasn't aware your father took parenting advice from a former murder suspect."

Effie fisted her sheer scarf in her hands, to keep her temper. "I wasn't aware that FBI agents took rumors and ran with them. Guess we're both being enlightened today."

Rafael shook his head. "You know, for someone who came in here under arrest, you sure have a mouth on you. Most wouldn't see that as smart."

"I'm guessing those are also the ones who saw fit to make you an agent." Effie shot back. "I'll take the ones who do consider me smart." she leaned back. "If you think I'm going to make this easy on you when I'm holding all the cards and all you have is the joker, you're sadly mistaken, Agent McCall."

"Do you realize that kind of trouble you're in?" Rafael asked.

Effie met him dead on. "More than you can possibly know."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

All she could hear was loud ringing. That's all Effie was hearing. Ringing and chaos.

"-ie"

Blinking, Effie looked around, seeing Rafael kneeling in front of her.

"Ef-e." His voice was broken and distorted. "C- ar- me?"

Effie shook her head. "Barely." she swallowed the panic threatening to overwhelm her. "Where's my dad?"

Rafael looked over Effie's shoulder. "-e's c-ing"

Effie turned, wincing at the pain that sliced through her head. "Daddy,"

John fell to his knee in front of his daughter. "Baby girl," For some reason that Effie wasn't questioning, his voice came through loud and clear. "McCall, what the hell is my daughter doing here?"

Rafael gave him a look. "She was found with the two suspects in the Katashi murder."

"Derek and Mr. Argent." Effie answered softly. "Emitter found at the loft. We were set up."

John sighed. "There's nothing I can do for Derek right now, Ef. Let's get you taken care of."

Effie didn't protest as John picked her up in his arms. Normally, she'd complain she was too heavy and she didn't want him hurting himself but after what just happened, she wanted her dad.

As he carried her through the remains of the bullpen, the ringing in her ears grew louder, causing her to cry out in pain. She couldn't hear any voices any more, just chaos. It was too much, she couldn't handle it. Her Spark was screaming and her fox was agitated.

As she felt her father pass her to someone else, Effie shut herself off from the noise. She shut herself off from all of it.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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Cliff hangers, seriously. Not fun. They get me in trouble. But I can't help what the show does! Either way, if you want to know what Effie's ring looks like, shoot me a PM and I'll be glad to show you. I was going to add in seeing Isaac, but I didn't feel like making any of us cry more than needed. Or was I the only one crying when Effie admitted she couldn't go to school, knowing Stiles wouldn't be there? I was? Hmm, okay. Other than that, let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	8. Echo House

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Lacy here! Sorry for the lack of post on Wednesday, kids. Mom, Lil Sis and I went to the beach and I was exhausted with a bad headache by the time we got home, so I went to bed early and completely forgot to post. I was gonna post Thursday, but I haven't been working on season five too much and decided to skip two chapters this week to give myself a bit of a break. Don't worry, I'm already on part two of the season, so it's not like I'm miles behind. I'll be honest, I started a new character that's gained a lot of my focus, but Effie is right there with her! Alright, now for the chapter, Stiles entering Eichen House, stealing from an armored car and Effie knows the moment Stiles is no longer Stiles. Scary, right? Read on!

Disclaimer: I own Effie and the really long AN. Sorry 'bout that.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie woke up, crying and gasping for breath. Images filled her mind of Stiles hurting Scott, hurting Kira. She didn't know what was happening.

"Shh, shh, it's alright, Effie."

Effie reached out blindly, comforted as she felt her father's arm close around her.

"I got ya," John rocked his daughter. "I got ya."

"S-st-stiles," Effie stammered. "he hurt S-scott and K-kira. Only, it wa- it wasn't really him."

John nodded. "I know, sweetie. Deaton took care of the fox, for the moment. And your brother's made a decision."

Effie frowned, pulling away. "What decision?"

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie couldn't believe she was sitting in the back of her father's car as they drove Stiles to Eichen House, the mental institution of Beacon Hills. Effie understood why Stiles made the decision but she still had trouble wrapping her head around it. Her brother wasn't crazy. If anything, he was the most sane out of anyone in their group. Which, if Effie thought about it, was a little sad but no less true.

They pulled up to the gate and Scott was standing there, waiting for them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" the alpha asked.

"Because we wanted to avoid something like this." John answered.

"It's only seventy-two hours." Stiles added.

"This is the same place where Barrow came from." Scott pointed out. "The guy who had a tumor inside him filled with flies. You don't know everything yet."

"I know enough." John said. "Nogitsunes, Kitsunes, Oni, or whatever they're called."

"No," Stiles nodded a bit. "that was actually all surprisingly correct."

"Scott," the sheriff spoke to the alpha again. "I saw an MRI that looked exactly like my wife's." Stiles shifted and wrapped an arm around Effie. "And it terrifies me. I'm headed down to L.A. tomorrow to talk to a specialist."

"Then why are you putting him in here?" Scott asked.

"He's not." Stiles answered. "It was my decision."

Scott looked like he didn't believe him. "Stiles, I can't help you if you're in here."

"And I can't hurt you." Stiles pointed out.

"Deaton's got some ideas." Scott kept trying. "Argent's calling people. We're gonna find something. And if we can't-"

"If you can't," Stiles picked up. He stepped forward. "If you can't, then you have to do something for me, okay? Make sure I never get out."

Effie dropped her eyes to the ground. She knew Stiles had hoped no one would hear his words but there wasn't a chance she wouldn't pick up on it. And, she glanced at her father, she knew he heard it, too.

"Come on," John said quietly, taking Effie's hand.

The Stilinskis ventured passed the gate once it was buzzed open for them. Stiles led the way, his overnight bag in hand. Once inside, they looked around at the patients that were loitering around the entrance hall. Effie could feel their confusion, hear every muttered word escaping from their mouths.

"Mr. Stilinski?" a nurse appeared. "This way, please."

They followed the woman to her office and Effie sat back as John and Stiles listened to the instructions.

"First seventy-two hours, there's no phone calls, no emails, no visitors. We will be taking you from here to a brief physical. In the morning, you'll be assessed by a staff psychologist, speak to a social worker and attend group therapy."

John set the pen down after signing the forms. "I-I feel like we're forgetting something."

The nurse set a pair of slippers on the desk. "You will be wearing these, Stiles. No laces allowed. You don't have a belt, do you?" she put a white tray out. "And please empty your pockets in here."

Effie bit her lip. "What about his ID bracelet?" she held up her own wrist, hers shining in the light. "We never take them off."

The nurse saw Stiles playing with his. "It's small enough, he can keep it on."

Stiles smiled a bit. "Thank you,"

"Your pillow." John said. "Your pillow. We forgot your pillow."

"Dad, it's okay." Stiles said as he removed his laces.

"No, no," John shook his head. "You're never gonna be able to fall asleep. We gotta go back."

"It's fine Dad," Stiles reassured him. "I don't need it."

"I can't believe I forgot it." John went on. "I mean, every time that we've ever stayed in a hotel, the first thing you pack is your pillow."

"You can bring it tomorrow." Stiles said. "It's alright."

John suddenly stood. "Okay, you know what? Stop. Stop. Enough. Stiles, get your stuff. I'm not checking you in here if you're not going to get one good night's sleep."

"Dad," Stiles stood and took his father by the arms. "I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks." The two men hugged before Stiles moved and hugged Effie. "Take care of him."

Effie swallowed and nodded. "You know it." she moved to her dad's side as Stiles walked away with the nurse. "He'll be okay, Dad."

"God, I hope so." John said quietly. He wrapped an arm around Effie and squeezed her shoulders as she returned the gesture. "Let's get you to Derek's."

Effie frowned. "But Mr. McCall still has him in custody."

John nodded. "True but the loft is a lot safer than home right now," he looked down at his daughter as they left Eichen House. "and I know you won't want to be in the house without Stiles. It's how you've always been."

"I don't like being anywhere without Stiles." Effie admitted quietly.

"I know, baby girl." John kissed her head. "And I hate separating you guys but it was his call." he faced Effie once they reached the car. "We'll get this figured out, get this thing out of your brother and find out if he really is sick."

"And if he is?" Effie asked, her voice cracking.

John exhaled slowly. "Then Scott will give him the bite and I'll have two weres running around the house."

Effie laughed wetly. "You'd really be okay with that."

"As long as I have my kids," John reassured. "I couldn't care less what species you two are. I will never abandon either of you."

Effie hugged John as tears fell down her face. "I love you, Dad."

John pressed his cheek to Effie's head. "I love you too, Effie. You and Stiles, both."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie listened to the quiet snoring of her father on Derek's couch. Since he was leaving in the morning, he decided to stay the night with Effie so she wouldn't be alone. And she was grateful for it. While she'd gotten used to sleeping at Derek's every once in awhile, she always knew Stiles was a phone call away, willing to talk to her if she needed. While he was in Eichen House, that wasn't true. She couldn't reach him and he couldn't reach her.

Getting up from the bed, Effie wrapped Stiles's red sweatshirt around her shoulders and stood in front of the large window. She couldn't see the moon but actually found she was glad for that. She had enough issues without having to worry about the coming full moon.

Turning her back and leaning against the window, Effie held up her right hand, watching the faint light from outside reflect off her ring as she felt the different elements running through her. Fire, wind, water, earth. She was getting better at actually controlling them.

With a long sigh, Effie crossed her arms and looked at the loft. It didn't feel right without Derek. Hell, even Peter would make it feel more normal but John had given the elder Hale his walking papers the moment they arrived. The sheriff did not have the patience to deal with the psychotic ex-alpha.

"Effie,"

Effie blinked and saw her father watching her from the couch. "Hey,"

John sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. "You should be sleeping, kiddo."

Effie shrugged. "Tried. I can't get my mind to settle down. Too much going on."

"You want your meds?" John offered, thinking of the bottle in his bag. "I know you're a big bad fox now but one can't hurt."

"They don't work any more." Effie admitted. "Haven't since I was turned."

John knew his daughter needed a distraction. "I see he gave you the ring."

Effie looked down at her Claddagh ring with a smile. "Yeah, before we went to see Isaac. Said he got your permission first. Personally, I would have loved to be there for that conversation."

John laughed. "It wasn't as eventful as you'd like to think, Ef. I made peace with you and Derek being long term a while ago. No," he sat back. "I just got his word that the next step for you two would be your decision."

"Don't worry, Dad." Effie reassured. "He's never pressured me into anything, ever."

"Good," John exhaled. "good." he watched Effie for a long moment. "I know you're feeling unsettled right now, Ef. I'm sure Stiles is feeling the same thing but you need rest."

Effie nodded without speaking and walked back to the bed. As she crawled under the covers, she looked at John one last time.

"Sometimes, I wish Derek and Peter had never come back into our lives." she whispered. "That all this supernatural insanity had stayed myth instead of proving to be real. But at the same time-"

"-you were a part of this world from the moment you were born." John finished. "Your mom was a part of this world. It was Fate, baby girl."

Effie laughed humorlessly. "Sometimes, I hate Fate."

John echoed the laugh. "Yeah, me too."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie blinked as Scott's words sank in. "You want to what?"

"We have to do this, Effie." Scott pressed. "If we want to get this thing out of Stiles, this is our best chance."

Effie scrubbed her hands over her face. She should have stayed in bed when Scott called. "We're going to rob an armored car. A federal armored car. Federal, as if under your dad's orders."

Scott nodded slowly, worried about Effie's reaction now. "Yeah, exactly."

"Alright, I'm in." Effie said. "But Scott," she leveled him with a look. "if I didn't want my brother back so much, I'd remind you that breaking the law cannot always be a solution. It cost Dad his job once, I won't let it happen again."

"Yeah, I kinda figured." Scott agreed. "I know it's stupid and reckless but it's the best we've got."

Effie sighed. "I know, Scott. I promise, I do." she grabbed Stiles's sweatshirt. "Let's go."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie watched Parrish go down after the rather large man smashed his head into the bed of the armored truck.

"Who the hell is that?" Scott asked.

"Kincaid." Allison answered, even if they hadn't been expecting one.

Effie looked between the two. "Look, I don't care who it is, he just knocked out a deputy and god only knows what he did to the driver."

Scott tapped the ground. "Alright, we'll get the finger. Effie, you get the deputies out of the way."

Effie nodded and slid around to the left side of the parking lot, pressing against the wall as she moved towards the truck. She watched Scott and Allison move towards Kincaid, Allison with her weapon raised.

"We need that finger." Scott got Kincaid's attention.

Kincaid smirked, appearing unimpressed. "Why should I give it to you?"

"There's a briefcase in there with $150,000 in it." Allison supplied.

Kincaid held up the silver finger. "The scroll inside this prosthetic finger is worth three million."

"Give me the finger." Scott ordered. Effie nearly groaned at his wording. Kincaid's look did it for her. "You know what I mean."

Effie looked up and saw Kira jump from the top of the trunk onto Kincaid's back. He easily swatted her aside but was now thoroughly pissed off, his eyes ice blue.

"I guess negotiations are over." he growled.

Effie wasn't surprised it had fallen to fighting but at the same time, was more than a little annoyed. It made getting Parrish and the other deputy away that much harder. When Aidan and Ethan joined in, Effie took her chance and moved passed Lydia and Allison, pausing to make sure they were okay, same with Kira, then knelt at Parrish's side.

"Stop!" Lydia yelled at the twins before they could kill Kincaid.

"You want him to come after us?" Aidan demanded.

"Scott," Ethan spoke, his tone more calm. "we've seen guys like this. Trust us. He's dangerous."

"So are we." Scott argued back. "And he looks smart enough to remember that." he stepped forward and took the finger from Kincaid then shook the scroll into his hand. "We're here to save a life. Not end one."

Effie looked at Kincaid. "Where's the other deputy?"

Kincaid exhaled. "Dead."

Effie growled. "Son of a bitch," she looked down at Parrish. "He better just be unconscious."

"He is." Kincaid assured.

"Get out of here." Scott ordered the beta. "Effie, take Parrish to the hospital. Mom will help."

Effie nodded, shifting to her feet and sliding Parrish's arm over her shoulders. Carefully, she stood and took the unconscious deputy with her. Yeah, she was really thankful for having fox strength.

"I'll call when he's admitted."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie crossed her arms as she watched the nurses work on Parrish. "But he'll be okay."

Melissa nodded from beside her. "Well, his head's gonna hurt for a while but yeah, he's gonna be fine."

"Thank god," Effie muttered. She took a moment to calm herself before a sense of dread sent a shiver down her spine. She turned, looking around. "Stiles,"

Melissa frowned. "Effie?"

"Something happened to Stiles." Effie said, almost to herself. "He's not," she looked at Melissa. "He's not Stiles any more."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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And we enter a world where Stiles is no longer driving his own body. Dylan seriously did an amazing job playing this part and I loved/hated it so much. Loved, because damn was it awesome. Hated, because leave Stiles alone, damnit! Alright, let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading! And I promise, there will be a chapter on Wednesday!

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	9. The Fox and the Wolf

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Lacy here kids! And I know, this is late. Really late. But, you're getting another chapter tomorrow, as this one is so short. I didn't have a lot for this episode and I was struggling at this point with how emotional everything was for Effie. She vents a bit to Derek, which let's be honest, it was coming at some point. We're nearing the end of the season, kids! So read on!

Disclaimer: I own Effie.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie stood in her father's office, watching Derek and Chris gather their belongings after being released. She could hear what was being said and nearly laughed as Parrish tried to keep Chris's taser stick.

"Sorry, but I can't let you walk out with this. It's way above the legal voltage limit."

"I only use it for hunting." Chris commented, glancing at Derek. Effie saw the look on her boyfriend's face and shook her head, smiling.

"Yeah, well," Parrish continued. "I'm pretty sure you could use it to jump-start a 747."

"This property belongs to me and the charges were dropped." Chris argued. "Although, I'm not exactly sure who's responsible for that."

"I am." John appeared. "I'll take care of this, Parrish."

"Sheriff, I'm not kidding." Parrish preached. "This thing's a few watts from being a lightsaber."

John took the taser. "I said I'll take care of it." he looked at the two men. "My office."

Effie looked up from the floor as Derek walked in with John and Chris. They just watched each other for a long moment before Derek opened his arms and Effie let him hold her. She didn't feel completely better but with her father and boyfriend, she was getting there. She just needed Stiles back.

"You okay?" Derek whispered, his lips pressed to Effie's hair.

Effie nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting there." she looked at John. "What's going on, Dad?"

John tapped his desk. "The specialist I saw in LA told me the thing that every doctor says when he's trying to avoid a lawsuit. _'We can't say for sure.'_ And then I spoke with Melissa." he pulled out two scans. "These are brain scans. My wife's and Stiles'." he handed them to Chris and the three looked at them. "I knew they were similar. But those are the same. Exactly the same."

"I'm guessing this isn't possible." Derek said.

"Not even remotely." John shook his head.

Chris dropped the scans down. "So the trickster is still playing tricks."

Derek sighed. "But why this trick?"

John exhaled. "When I was in the Army, an officer told me, 'If you want to defeat your enemy, you don't take away their courage. You take away their hope."

Effie shut her eyes, figuring out what the Nogitsune's plan was for Stiles.

"You don't look like a man who gives up hope easily." Chris commented.

"But Stiles might." Effie nearly whispered. "If the Nogitsune is using Mom's disease as a sort of psychological trick, then this isn't a fight for his body. It's also a fight for his mind."

"You know he's left people severely injured." Chris pointed out.

"And others severely dead." Derek added quietly, tightening his hold on Effie.

"That's why I need the two of you." John said. "I need people who are experienced in this kind of thing. I need you to help me stop them."

"And by stop him," Chris wanted clarity. "you mean trap him."

John nodded before picking up Chris's taser. He held it out to the hunter, holding it tightly as a look passed between the two fathers. Then John looked at Derek.

"I'll go with Argent back to his place." he said. "You take Effie-"

"I'm helping, Dad." Effie stopped him. "You're not making me sit this out."

John sighed. "Effie,"

"Sheriff," Derek stepped in. "I understand you wanting to keep Effie out of this, you want at least one of your kids safe but Effie and Stiles are linked. Not just as twins but as Sparks. Even with the Nogitsune in his mind, that won't change. She can help, a lot."

John watched Effie and saw the same stubbornness in her eyes that his wife so often looked at him with when they argued. And, to his memory, he never won against that look.

"Alright," he sighed again. "let's go."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Derek watched Effie as he drove her jeep after John's car. "Baby," he reached for her hand. "talk to me."

Effie laced their fingers together. "I just, I don't have words for it any more, Derek. He's my brother, my twin. But he's not. Not any more." she looked at Derek. "How much of Stiles is going to be left once the Nogitsune is done?"

Derek sighed. "I wish I had some way to reassure you, Effie. I wish I could promise Stiles will be just the same as he was before this all happened."

"But we don't make false promises." Effie finished. "We don't lie to each other just for the sake of comfort."

"Exactly." Derek said. "So this is what I will tell you; I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do, I will get as much of Stiles back as I can, not just because he's your brother but also because he's pack. He matters and he deserves every effort we can take to fix him."

"Thank you," Effie said, tears falling. She lifted Derek's hand to her mouth and kissed the back. "Just, thank you."

Derek had no more words, he'd made the only promise he could. So he squeezed Effie's hand and kept holding on.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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I hate posting such short chapters, but I'm determined to keep it to one episode a chapter, so this is what we're left with. Next chapter makes up for it, promise. For now, let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	10. De-Void

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Lacy here! See? I kept my word this time! Mainly because I can't focus on anything else and this is the best option I have right now. So, we have a rather impressive confrontation with the Nogitsune first, then a chance to save Stiles from the twisted fox. But what will the pack lose in the meantime? Read on!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie walked into the loft with her father, just like two nights before, only this time, Stiles was standing there, staring at them. And she could see it wasn't really Stiles.

"Hey Dad," he greeted. "Effie." John pulled out his cuffs but didn't speak. "You wanna handcuff me?"

John walked down the steps. "If my son is still here, if there's still a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly and he'll come with me, because he knows I'm here to protect him from himself and from others."

Effie stayed back as Stiles held his hands up and let John put the cuffs on. She knew it wasn't her brother but if he made no move against their father's safety, she wouldn't have to step in.

John took one look at Stiles' face as he looked up and knew. "You're not my son."

The Nogitsune shook his head and shattered the cuffs. Before anything could happen, Chris, Derek and Allison entered the loft and backed up Effie and John. Allison shot at the Nogitsune with a taser but he just caught the wires and ripped the gun from her hand. Derek growled, wolfed out, and charged the trickster, only to find himself thrown against a support beam after Nogitsune snapped his shoulder. Effie fought the urge to move to Derek, knowing if she moved, the fox would attack her as well.

The sound of a cocking gun pulled Effie's eyes from her mate and she saw Chris pointing his gun at Stiles.

"Argent, listen to me." John spoke calmly to him. "Don't do this."

"Why not?" Chris asked. "I've done it before. Werewolves, berserkers. I can easily add a nogitsune to the list."

John pulled his own weapon. "You're not going to shoot my son."

Derek reached for Effie, pulling her out from between the two armed men. Allison followed his lead and stepped back as well.

"You said it yourself, Sheriff." Chris went on. "That's not your son."

"Put it down. Put it down."

"Dad," Nogitsune spoke. "he's gonna shoot me."

Effie growled. "Don't you dare call him 'Dad'."

"Stay quiet, Ef," Derek muttered.

She wanted to argue but saw that things were quickly escalating as John started yelling and Nogitsune started egging Chris on, telling him to shoot, to pull the trigger.

Derek, Allison and Effie turned as they watched the sun set.

"Stop! Stop it." Allison spoke. "This is what he wants. This is exactly what he wants."

"Not exactly." Nogitsune spoke. "I was kinda hoping Scott would be here. But I'm glad you all have your guns out. Because you're not here to kill me." he turned to the window. The Oni had arrived. "You're here to protect me."

Nogitsune stepped back and they formed a circle around him. The Oni started forward, forcing Chris and John to fire while Effie brought fire to one hand and lightning to the other. This was going to be interesting.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie followed her father into the house after the Oni vanished on them, along with the Nogitsune. She was done thinking of that monster as Stiles. It wasn't her brother, not any more. But she would get him back, even if it took her last breath.

"You should try and get some sleep, Effie." John said quietly.

Effie leaned back against the front door. "I don't think anything short of heavy grade pharmaceuticals are going to knock me out, Dad."

John sighed. "Yeah, I know. Thought it was worth a try anyway." he frowned a bit. "Why didn't Derek come home with us?"

"He's feeling guilty." Effie informed. "For not getting Stiles back by now and for not being around when this all started."

"He was being held hostage," John argued. "it's not like he had a choice in the matter."

Effie smiled at her father defending Derek. "It's Derek, Dad. Guilt is kind of his number one emotion."

John huffed. "Remind me to do something about that." he sighed again. "I'm gonna head to bed. My review is tomorrow."

Effie nodded. "Kay," she held up a hand. "Uh, Dad, those cameras you had installed."

John laughed. "There aren't any in your room, don't worry."

Effie blew out a long breath. "Oh thank god."

"Trust me," John grinned. "I may accept your relationship but that doesn't mean I need to know all aspects of it. And there's only so much of Derek I ever want to see."

"I'm sure he'll be relieved to hear that." Effie snorted. "Night Dad."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie felt weird when she woke up the next morning, and not just because she managed to sleep for five hours when she was sure not even one hour was going to happen. No, it was like something was wrong with her, inside.

Sitting up in bed, Effie closed her eyes, her brow pinched in a frown, and focused on the feeling. A low buzzing filled her ears and the harder she focused on it, the louder it became. Before she knew what was happening, she started coughing, feeling as though she was choking on something.

John came running into the room as Effie's coughing grew violent. He sat beside her, rubbing her back and murmuring softly. Suddenly, she coughed one more time and a fly came out of her mouth. She panting, trying to catch her breath as the fly landed on her bed. Before it could get away, she grabbed it in her hand, squeezed hard enough to break its wings then opened her fingers.

"What the hell is that?" John asked.

Effie's eyes flashed lilac. "The Nogitsune's next move. Flies are how it controls its minions." crushing the bug completely, Effie grabbed her phone. "My guess is it's trying to distract us from going after it." she sent out a text to the humans of the pack;

 _'Nogitsune's made its next move. Watch your backs.'_

"Why aren't you warning everyone?" John asked.

Effie looked at the fly again. "This could have only gotten in me while I was sleeping. No doubt the others are infected, too. Even if I warn them, they won't be in their right minds to understand the message." she shoved out of bed. "I've got to check on each one of them, myself."

John frowned. "Is that really a good idea, Ef?"

"I have no choice, Dad." Effie said. "One thing about wolves and foxes that I follow to the letter is we never leave a wounded member alone. We treat and heal as a pack."

"I do get that, Effie." John reassured. "But I don't want you going after them by yourself. It's not safe and I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt on top of everything else."

Effie sighed. She knew where her dad was coming from. "Then what do I do?"

"Wait." John said. "I know, even before the bite, that is the opposite of what you're used to doing but, I think it's your best option. You've warned the others, you're no longer infected. All you can do is wait for the rest of the pack to come around."

Effie leaned against her desk. "I hate waiting."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie raced into Scott's house, already picking up the scents of Deaton, Aidan, Melissa, Lydia and Scott. And the mixed scent of Stiles and the Nogitsune. She nearly got bowled over by Aidan, who was charging from the house with a determined look on his face. Effie didn't bother stopping him, her mind set on her brother.

"Oh, I hope he gets there in time." she heard the Nogitsune taunt. "I like the twins. Short tempers. Homicidal compulsions. They're a lot more fun then you bakemono trying to save the world every day."

"Doc," Melissa spoke up. "you brought something to paralyze his body. You got anything for his mouth?"

Effie walked over. "Let me." she punched the Nogitsune as hard as she could across the face. It didn't knock him out but she felt a few bones break. "Tape him up, Doc."

Deaton pulled a piece tape and placed it over the Nogtisune's mouth. He glared at the group, trying to scream against the tape and broken jaw. When he gave up on that, the group retreated away from the couch, Effie a steady presence at Lydia's side as the banshee seemed to be bordering on very upset.

"How much longer do you think we have?" Scott asked, referring to the Kanima venom that was restraining the beast.

"I wish I knew." Deaton shrugged. "But if we don't figure out something soon, we're gonna need to find a better place to keep him. I think we're grossly underestimating the danger here. He might be paralyzed, but it still feels like he's got us right in the palm of his hand."

Effie tapped the table. "That's because he does. He has this entire time. As long as he looks and sounds like Stiles, he has us right where he wants us." she looked at the others. "It's his game, right now. We just have to wait until we can make a move."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie didn't like it. Not being able to get a hold of Derek and the others deciding to call Peter in. She trusted her mate's uncle about as far as Coach could throw the bastard.

"Little Effie,"

Effie glared at the elder Hale. "Let's get something straight, Peter. You do anything that causes lasting damage to my brother, more then what the Nogitsune's done, and I'll rip your throat out. And this time, I'll make sure you don't come back."

"Such a cocky little beta," Peter taunted, emphasizing her rank.

Effie smirked. "We both know I'm not just a beta and you're not better than an omega. Do what we called you here for then leave."

Peter crossed his arms. "Do you really think I'll play nice because you're Derek's mate?"

Effie mirrored him. "Do you really think I'll play nice because you're his uncle?"

"Peter," Scott called the other man over. "leave Effie alone."

Effie stepped aside, waving a hand for Peter to go into the living room. If she dogged his every step as he went, she was just protecting her brother.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Though she knew it would do no good and that it wasn't actually her brother sitting before her, Effie slid his ID bracelet from her own wrist and back onto his. She knew touchstones wouldn't help Stiles right then but it would go a long way to grounding him back to reality once he was in control again.

"I didn't realize you guys still had those." Melissa commented.

Effie sat back on her heels. "Last part of Mom that we carry with us." she sighed. "For a while, we didn't let Dad see them, not wanting him upset. But on our tenth birthdays, he gave us the charms on them." she ran her thumb over the lacrosse stick on Stiles' while looking at her own paintbrush. "He always knew and it helped instead of hurting."

"So," Deaton spoke as Lydia and Peter came back into the room. Melissa helped Effie to her feet and away from the couch. "do we have a plan?"

Peter set his hands on the back of the couch. "Scott is gonna try and dig through pale and sickly Evil Stiles's mind to unearth pale and sickly Real Stiles. Then guide him back from the depths of his own subconscious. But he's not gonna do it alone."

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

Peter turned his head slowly towards Lydia. "Somebody needs to go in with you."

Effie couldn't help but notice that under Lydia's obvious fear was determination. As scared as the other girl was, she wanted to help Stiles more.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Watching Peter line Scott's claws up with the back of Stiles' neck and Lydia's, Effie couldn't help remembering the last time she'd witnessed this being done. She was grateful that, this time, Peter wasn't actually doing it. There was no way she'd be able to let him sink his claws into her brother without ripping his arm off.

"So what do we do if we find him?" Scott asked.

Peter shrugged a bit. "You're gonna have to guide him out somehow. Try to give him back control of his mind, his body."

"Could you elaborate on the 'somehow'?" Lydia asked. "It's not feeling very specific at the moment."

"Improvise." Peter threw out.

"What if this is just another trick?" Scott voiced suddenly.

"When are you people going to start trusting me?" Peter asked.

Scott looked at Peter briefly before looking back at Stiles. "I meant him."

"Oh,"

"Scott," Deaton spoke. "we're running out of time."

As Scott's eyes shifted red and he prepared to sink his claws in, Effie felt Melissa take her hand and found herself holding on. Especially once she felt a spike in her connection with both Isaac and Derek.

"Effie," there was concern in Peter's tone seconds after Scott connected with Lydia and Stiles. "your eyes are lilac."

Effie nodded, exhaling heavily. "Being connected to more than one person can suck from time to time."

"What do you need?" Melissa asked.

"To stay right here." Effie informed the three adults. "Derek and Isaac aren't in life threatening danger. Stiles is. Blood's thicker than fur."

Peter wrinkled his nose. "I hate that saying."

Effie gave him a look. "Tough."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie blinked, staring straight at Scott as a shiver ran down her spine. "Scott,"

"Effie," Deaton and Melissa echoed each other.

"He howled." Effie explained. "I don't know how I know but he howled. He called to his pack. To Stiles."

Before anyone could question further, Scott and Lydia gasped and came back. Lydia shot off the couch, rubbing her neck while Scott came around to see if Stiles was back.

"Did it work?" Scott asked. "Did it work?"

"What happened?" Lydia asked. "Why didn't it work?"

Peter grabbed Lydia's arm. "Because it's not science, Lydia. It's supernatural. I did my part. Now give me the name."

"What name?" Scott asked, his concern for Stiles fading into concern for Lydia. "What are you talking about?"

Peter pulled Lydia away from the others. "Lydia, a deal is a deal. Even with me."

Scott and Effie watched Lydia lean closer to Peter so she could whisper in his ear.

"Malia."

No sooner did the name leave Lydia's mouth, did Stiles suddenly gasp and start choking. He was also back in full control of his body. He ripped the tape from his mouth and started pulling back looked like surgical gauze out, covering in vomit and spit.

Effie tried to step forward, to help, but Scott held her back. Stiles fell to his knees, retching and throwing up more and more gauze. There seemed to be no end to it. And it was coming with some kind of black mist. Effie didn't know whether to be revolted or terrified.

Once it finally stopped, Stiles scrambled back from the pile and a hand started making its way out. The hand quickly turned into an arm, which slowly became an entire body. Effie frowned at it; it seemed confused. Startled, even. It lurched forward and Peter and Scott grabbed it, pinning it to one of the chairs. That was when Effie felt it.

"Stop!" she shouted. She shoved Peter out of the way and started pulling at the wrappings. "Stop, Scott! Stop!"

Scott held Peter back as Effie removed the bandages. Slowly, she undercovered the face she'd been missing for far too long. Stiles. Her Stiles.

"Effie?" Stiles panted out. "Scott?"

"Scott," Deaton called their attention to the front door, which was wide open. And Lydia was missing. And so was the Nogitsune.

"Where are they?" Scott demanded. "Where are they?" he took off running. "Lydia! Lydia! LYDIA!"

Effie hugged Stiles close. She got her brother back. And lost one of her best friends. It was never going to end.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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Nothing is easy for this pack. And it probably never will be. But we've got Stiles back! Now, leading up to the last two episodes, this is where things get truly dangerous. And where lives are lost. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	11. Insatiable

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Lacy here, kids! And I don't know why I put the exclimation point, because this is seriously not a happy chapter. I mean, yeah, Stiles is back, but the Nogitsune has Lydia and Aidan and Ethan are in trouble and we lose another member of the pack. So, yeah, not happy. But Effie has her brother back and that's what matters to her right now. Until all hell breaks lose, anyway. Read on!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie hadn't let go of Stiles since the Oni proved he was actually himself. Not after he got off the floor, not after Scott offered to drive them to the station to see John. Not even as they walked by a very shocked Parrish. But she did find herself letting go as they entered John's office.

"Ah, if I could just find my keys." they heard the sheriff mutter.

"In your coffee cup." Stiles spoke, causing John to turn. "You always drop 'em in your empty cup."

John looked from his son to Scott, who nodded, to Effie, who also nodded, tears in her eyes, then back to Stiles. Dropping his jacket on the ground, he raced around his desk and grabbed his son in a tight hug. Effie couldn't help the tears that streaked down her face as Stiles chuckled at the strength of the hug.

"Hey Dad," the boy greeted softly.

Releasing Stiles, John pulled Effie in for her own hug, kissed her forehead as she let out a sob like laugh.

"Is it over?" John asked Scott.

Scott picked up John's keys from his mug. "Not yet."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie wiped her eyes as she dialed Derek's number again. He hadn't answered before but Effie felt like he would this time. And he was constantly telling her to follow her feelings.

"Hey baby," Derek greeted. "I'm so sorry-"

"It doesn't matter." Effie stopped him. "I felt you were in trouble but not bad enough to need help. Just tell me you're okay."

"I swear, I am." he said. "Are you?"

Effie looked at her brother and Scott. "Almost. We have Stiles back but the Nogitsune has a body of its own, still looking exactly like Stiles and he has Lydia."

"Tell me what you need." Derek said.

Effie laughed a bit. "A hug and a cuddle longer than I can put a time frame on. But right now, I'll settle for you just being here and helping us figure this whole mess out."

"Of course. I'll be-ah shit."

Effie frowned. "Derek, what's wrong?"

"Someone's after Ethan and Aidan."

"Alright, go." Effie said. "Get to me when you can but help them first."

"I love you, Effie."

Effie smiled shyly. "I love you too, Derek." she saw the look her brother was giving her as she hung up. "Oh shut up."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie raced through the high school, looking for Meredith. Coach had told them she disappeared from his office and that three guys from Eichen House were looking for her. Scott and Stiles had gone off with Kira, leaving Effie by herself, which she preferred.

Pausing in a deserted part of the school, Effie closed her eyes and focused. She drowned out the sounds of the other students and teachers, narrowing in on the music room, where she could hear Meredith pulling cord after cord on the grand piano.

Opening her eyes, Effie gained her bearings and took off again. She reached the music room in no time, coming in behind one of the orderlies from Eichen House.

"Let's go, sweetheart." the man said. Meredith faced him and Effie saw the fear in her eyes. "As you know, I am not averse to using to tools," he held up a taser. "of my trade. As often as necessary."

"I just," Meredith angled back towards the piano. "I need another second, okay? They're trying to tell me something."

"Meredith."

"Please. They're trying to tell me something."

Effie went to stop the man when Coach appeared and stepped past her. She watched as he grabbed the taser and aimed it at the orderly.

"This school has a very strict no bullying policy." Coach informed in an angry tone. He jabbed the taser into the guy's chest, causing him to cry out before falling to the ground. Effie couldn't believe it as Stiles, Scott and Kira came running in. "Well?" he looked at the kids. "Get her outta here!"

Effie put a hand on Coach's arm. "If you weren't so damn weird, I'd hug you for this."

Coach coughed. "School has rules against that, too."

Effie rolled her eyes. "There we go, back to normal."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie knelt between Aidan and Ethan with a bucket of water and a cloth. She was carefully washing away the black and dirt from their skin as they panted and fought against the wolfsbane poison in their systems. She'd left Stiles to take Meredith to Scott's house and had gotten a text from Derek, explaining what happened to the twins. She headed for the loft without even asking if he needed back up.

"Why are you doing this?" Aidan asked.

Effie sighed, resting her arm on her leg. "Just because you guys gave the worst first impressions possible, doesn't mean I'm gonna be a bitch when you're sitting here, fighting for your next breath. You may have noticed but I have a thing for helping men who used to be complete assholes."

Ethan grinned as best he could. "You know Derek heard that, right?"

Effie glanced over at the Hale, who was talking with Chris. "Yeah but he already knows I thought of him as an ass. And that wasn't his first impression." she went to dip the cloth in the water again but heard Chris's phone vibrate.

"Allison?"

"They found her. Scott found her. They found Lydia. I'm on my way."

"Allison, hold on. You have to wait."

"I can't, Dad."

"Allison, wait for me."

"There's no time. It's already night. There's no time, Dad."

"Wait, Allison! Wait!"

Effie stood up. "Chris, go. Derek and I can take care of Ethan and Aidan and whoever attacked them can wait. Go."

Derek nodded, backing Effie. "Scott and Allison need you more. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Chris watched the two with a slight smirk. "The next generation of Hale hierarchy. It's good to know some packs survive, no matter what comes their way." he focused on Effie. "I won't let anything happen to Stiles."

"Focus on your daughter." Effie countered. "Stiles has enough protection."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Chris hadn't been gone for longer than twenty minutes when Effie felt it. Derek had just finished burning the wolfsbane out of Aidan and he was passed out on the couch, slowly healing while Ethan got ready. Effie stood in front of the window, arms crossed over her stomach seconds before her eyes grew wide and a choked gasp broke free from her throat.

"Effie," Derek was by her side in seconds. "Effie, what is it?"

Effie fought to breathe, feeling the pain of those she called pack, those she called family. Felt the pull that connected her to one snap and sever forever.

"I-Isaac," she whispered. "K-Kira and Scott. St-iles. God, Lydia." she looked at Derek, tears streaming down her face. "Allison's dead."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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*grins sheepishly* I know, horrible ending, but that's how it goes when Effie isn't there to see things happen. When she only feels it happening. Pack bonds severing, I imagine, is like losing a limb. I think we were told that in the show. Either way, now we know what Effie goes through. And it only gets worse from here. I hate saying that. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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	12. The Divine Move

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Lacy here, kids! Alright, the end of season three. And another member of the pack loses their life. Not only that, but Effie loses something else at the end of the chapter. You all know what I mean. And you know how much that'll suck. Read on!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie watched, numb, as Derek finished burning the last of the wolfsbane out of Ethan, as he'd done with Aidan shortly before.

"Should be fine in a couple of hours." Derek said, stepping back. "Unless whoever shot you manages to find you again."

Aidan headed for the exit. "Lydia's with Scott. We need to go."

"You're gonna try to convince her to go with you?" Derek asked, knowing the answer already.

Aidan stopped and faced him. "I'm gonna try and convince her to run and hide. Like any sane person would do."

"And Danny?" Derek aimed the question at Ethan.

"Allison's dead." the other twin answered. "Stiles is dying. What do you think?"

"I think Danny won't believe you." Derek answered honestly. "And Lydia would never run and hide."

"Because of Stiles?" Aidan scoffed.

"Because of Scott." Derek shot back. "You've been trying to find a way into his pack. Trying to earn his trust, trying to fight for him. You've had it wrong the whole time. You don't fight for a leader. You fight for a leader's cause."

"What cause?" Aidan asked.

"Scott's always been about one thing." Derek informed. "Saving his friends. He will do anything and everything to save the people he cares about. When there's no chance of winning, he keeps fighting. When all hope is lost, he finds another way. And when he's beaten down, he stands up again. You wanna earn a place in his pack? You want redemption? Find another way to stand and fight."

Derek's words snapped Effie back and she moved towards the three.

"This son of a bitch already took Allison from us," she said, her voice catching. She shook her head at Derek's approaching touch. Any comfort and she'd shatter. "there isn't the smallest chance in hell Scott's gonna let the Nogitsune take Stiles as well. And I sure as hell won't, either." she looked at the men, her eyes lilac. "It's our move. The Nogitsune's put us on the offensive so let's show him just who it is he's screwing with."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie stared at the triskele box in her lap as Derek drove fast through the streets towards the high school. She was trying to keep her mind distracted, away from thoughts of Allison and Stiles but it wasn't working. Just like when the darach took her father, she couldn't not think about what was happening to those she cared about.

Her panic started building in her chest and her breathing started getting short. She heard the faint sounds of Derek calling her name but it was muffled by the blood pounding in her ears. Her chest grew tight and heavy as her fingers dug into the outside of the box.

Time seemed to stand still as she fought to regain her senses. A steady thumping, outside her own body, caught her attention and she realized she was being held against someone. And that someone's voice was getting through to her.

"Focus on my heart beat, Effie." Ethan's voice filled her ears and her sight slowly slipped back into place. First thing she saw was Derek's panicked eyes in the rearview mirror as he continued to drive.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Effie finally managed to take a slow, deep breath. "It all just-"

"I know," Derek stopped her. "I felt it. We stopped long enough for Aidan to swap places with you so Ethan could help." He didn't need to say why he didn't help her. Effie knew. The twins were still regaining their strength and needed complete focus on that, so driving wouldn't be an option.

She looked at Ethan. "Thank you, but you should have let me ride it out."

"Not likely." Aidan was the one who answered. "Derek wasn't the only one who felt it, Effie. Your panic was palpable. No way we weren't helping."

"Can you feel the others again?" Ethan asked. He was guessing her links to the rest of the pack took a backseat when panic set in.

Effie nodded, sitting up away from Ethan's hold. "Stiles is growing weaker by the second but Kira, Lydia and Scott are with him. Isaac's with Chris. Something's happening to Melissa and Dad but I can't tell what."

"Should we go to them?" Derek asked, knowing Effie would worry for her father.

Effie shook her head. "No, whatever's going on, it's tied to the Nogitsune. We stop him, we save the pack. All of them."

Derek pressed down on the gas. "Then let's make this fast."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie walked side by side with Derek as they walked towards the Nogitsune. They already knew Scott was there with the others, not just from Effie's telling them but Stiles's jeep was there as well. Derek had the triskele box in hand, and a deadly swagger in his step.

The Nogitsune was sitting on the steps of the school, two Oni standing behind him.

"Did you bring us a present?" he asked in a mock cheery tone.

Derek set the box down as Ethan and Aidan stepped out behind them. "I brought two."

"I've heard of an Alpha Pack, Derek." the Nogitsune said. "but not a pack of former Alphas. It's a little sad, isn't it? And really, you brought the baby druidfox?"

"They may not be alphas any more," Derek said as they strode forward. "but but they can still fight like one." his eyes shifted red. "And don't ever doubt my mate."

The four roared as the Oni twirled their swords and they charged. Let the fight begin.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie grunted as she hit the ground, spinning around just in time to see the Oni she was fighting raise its sword to strike her down. She panted for breath, never taking her eyes off it. And right before her eyes, she watched an arrow impale the Oni in the chest.

Gasping, she watched as the Oni pulled the arrow out and explode into nothing.

"What was that?" she heard Aidan asked.

"Silver."

Effie turned her head and saw Chris with a crossbow as Isaac flipped over the rail and landed by the box.

"The box!" Derek shouted. "Isaac! Get the triskele box to Scott!"

Once Isaac vanished with the box, Effie, Derek and the twins worked together to position the Oni so Chris could shoot them. He fired his final arrow but the Oni split the shaft in half.

"Get the arrow." he called out. "It's the last one."

Aidan saw his chance and went for it. Diving, he grabbed the arrow and jammed it into the Oni's chest. Just as the Oni stabbed his blade into Aidan's stomach.

"Aidan!" Ethan called out to his brother.

"No." Effie breathed. She moved with Chris and Derek as Ethan cradled his brother, helping him stay sitting up. Aidan was crying, knowing what was happening.

"Does it hurt you as much as it hurts me?" Aidan asked.

"Yeah," Ethan managed.

Effie leaned against Derek as the twins sobbed.

"It's okay," Aidan managed to say. "Lydia never believed I was one of the good guys anyways."

"She'll believe me." Derek said.

No one spoke again as Ethan gently shushed Aidan, comforting his brother, his twin, in his final moments. When they heard his last breath expelled, Ethan laid Aidan down and sobbed into his chest.

Derek stood slowly, bringing Effie with him as she cried against his shoulder. He knew her tears were for the pain Ethan was feeling, the pain they all felt in losing Allison and her own relief knowing Stiles was going to be alright.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie took the handful of pushpins Stiles handed her and let them fall into the jar at her side. Moving back to the papers at her feet, she balled them up, not bothering to ask if Stiles wanted to keep any of them. She knew what he was doing, why he was clearing the walls of his room.

"Hey," the two turned and saw their father. "Whatcha doing?"

"Uh," Stiles looked back at the wall, taking another picture down. "just, uh, clearing my head."

Effie saw John glance at her and she just shrugged her shoulders. This is what Stiles needed. John gave a smile and nodded before walking away, leaving the two alone.

"Hey," Effie reached up and took Stiles's hand. "it's gonna be okay, again. We'll find our way."

Stiles sighed. "How can you be so sure?"

Effie stood up, pulling Stiles to face her. "Because we still have each other and no matter how bumpy the road gets," she held up their joined hands. "we're in this together. No one is going to take you from me again. I won't survive round two."

Stiles rested his forehead against his sister's. "I doubt either of us will so I'm really hoping there's never a round two. Thanks kid,"

Effie hugged Stiles. "For my brother, anything."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Feeling sharp stab in her chest, Effie nearly screamed in pain, causing Stiles to slam on the breaks in the middle of the road.

"Ef?" Stiles threw the jeep in park and turned to his sister. "Ef, talk to me."

"Derek." Effie all but cried her mate's name. "He's gone."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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I suck. I know. Does anyone else hate that we come back to season four sans Isaac? I mean, I know Allison dying was hard for him, but I miss his face. Danny, as well. Bring back our goalie, Jeff! And Coach! Come on, we need his weird brand of humor! *sighs* The usual in between story will be up on Saturday and then season four, Relief, Relive, Rebirth will be up a week from today. You know how it goes by now. So let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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